Bombers skim from Gatineau River to fight fire

A pair of water bombers scooped water out of the Gatineau River to fight a 1.5 hectare bush fire near Mont Cascades on April 28.

According to the Société de protection des forêts contre le feu, SOPFEU, Maniwaki base fire information officer Melanie Morin, the Cantley Fire Department requested SOPFEU’s assistance to fight a fire in a wooded area around 1 p.m. that day. The cause of fire is still under investigation. No injuries or destroyed buildings were reported to Morin by 2:45 p.m. on April 28.

A pair of bombers scooping water from the Gatineau River to fight a fire near Mont Cascades on the afternoon of April 28. Photo courtesy Barbara Havrot

“It’s an evolving situation but that’s the latest information I have,” she said.

A team of three SOPFEU forest firefighters on the scene requested that the two water bomber planes assist in controlling the fire.

One of two bombers that scooped water from the Gatineau River to fight a fire near Mont Cascades on the afternoon of April 28. Photo courtesy David Erickson

Fire departments are required to call in SOPFEU whenever a fire reaches a forest. Updates on the fire can be found on SOPFEU’s fire map website.