CANADA VIBES NEWSROOM · MORNING EDITION
Tuesday, July 21, 2026 · 7:00 AM ET

Persistent drought north of the St. Lawrence River forced several restrictions this summer, but Quebec’s forest-fire agency lifted its total ban on open fires in or near forests on Monday.

The Société de protection des forêts contre le feu (SOPFEU) announced at noon Monday that it was lifting the ban on open fires in or near forests, a measure that had been in place since July 13 across several regions north of the St. Lawrence River. The restriction had been imposed due to dry conditions and exceptional operational demand on the agency.

Despite the lift, vigilance remains necessary: according to SOPFEU’s latest data, about a dozen fires remain active in the intensive protection zone, which covers Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, the Côte-Nord and Abitibi-Témiscamingue, while 136 more are burning in the northern zone. Since the season began, 336 fires have burned more than 124,000 hectares in the intensive zone, and 278 more have scorched nearly 600,000 hectares in the northern zone.

Elsewhere in the regions, the Gaspé Peninsula saw a rescue after two people were swept away by the current in Marsoui. In the Mauricie region, Quebec announced the conversion of more than 5,000 non-subsidized daycare spaces to subsidized ones, including a project in Bécancour.

What to watch

• How active fires evolve in the intensive protection zone, particularly in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean and the Côte-Nord.
• Weather forecasts — rain or a new heat wave — that will shape fire risk in coming days.
• Whether restrictions are reinstated if conditions worsen again.

Sources: SOPFEU, Government of Quebec, Radio-Canada Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine.