May 2010 Quebec wildfires

{{short description|Series of more than 120 wildfires}}

{{Infobox wildfire

| title = May 2010 Quebec wildfires

| image = Fires in Quebec, Canada May 2010.jpg

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| caption = Satellite imagery of southern Quebec with active wildfires outlined in red, June 2, 2010

| location = Quebec, Canada

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| date = May–June 2010

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| area = at least {{convert|90000|ha|acre}}

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The May 2010 Quebec wildfires were a series of wildfires that affected over {{convert|90000|ha|acre}} from late May to June 2010.{{cite news|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/life/Update+Ottawa+quality+very+poor+Quebec+forest+fire+smoke/3091990/story.html|title=Something in the air: Index more than doubles 2007 record for poor quality|date=May 31, 2010|accessdate=2010-06-01|author= Jennifer Pagliaro|newspaper=Ottawa Citizen}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}} Over 120 fires broke out in one week, with most near La Tuque, {{convert|300|km|mi|sp=us}} northeast of Montreal. Smoke from the wildfires caused smog warnings and resulted in heightened air quality indices throughout southern Quebec, including Montreal, Laval, and the Estrie, Montérégie, Lanaudière, Mauricie, and Centre-du-Québec regions;{{cite news|url=https://montrealgazette.com/news/Smog+smoke+warnings+from+forest+fires/3089566/story.html|title=Smog, smoke warnings from forest fires|author=Max Harrold and René Bruemmer|date=2010-05-31|accessdate=2010-05-31|newspaper=Montreal Gazette}} areas such as Ottawa and New England as far southeast as Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island also reported poor air quality.{{cite web|url=http://bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1258515&pos=breaking|title=Boston getting smoked by Canadian wildfires|date=May 31, 2010|publisher=The Boston Herald|author=Kantor, Ira}}{{cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5it5fERcY66DHpc-Px2oE9ORok15w|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100604003205/http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5it5fERcY66DHpc-Px2oE9ORok15w|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 4, 2010|title=Quebec forest fires black out skies|agency=Agence France-Presse|date=2010-05-31|accessdate=2010-05-31}} The First Nations reserve of Wemotaci, where firefighters were forced to retreat due to the intensity of the fires and density of the resulting smoke, was evacuated, with more than 1,300 residents being temporarily relocated to the neighbouring city of La Tuque.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/forest-fire-smoke-blankets-montreal-ottawa-1.884173|date=May 31, 2010|accessdate=2010-06-01|publisher=The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|title=Forest fire smoke drifts over Montreal, Ottawa}} Marcel Trudel, spokesman of SOPFEU—the organization responsible for containing the wildfires—reported that flames as high as {{convert|30|m|ft}} had been observed near the reserve.{{cite news|url=https://vancouversun.com/health/Firefighters+facing+real+monster+official+says/3091957/story.html|title=Firefighters facing "a real monster," Que. official says|date=May 31, 2010|accessdate=2010-05-31|agency=Canwest News Service|newspaper=Vancouver Sun}} Three other communities—two of them also First Nations reserves—were evacuated as well. More than 1,200 firefighters worked to control the fires, including 200 from other provinces as well as from the U.S. states of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

Image:QuebecWildfires June12010.png|Thick clouds of smoke produced by the wildfires covered New England. June 1, 2010.

Image:Smoke over New England and the North Atlantic May 2010.jpg|Smoke over New England and the North Atlantic Ocean.