Canadian authorities have evacuated 225 inmates from the maximum-security Port-Cartier Institution in Quebec due to escalating forest fires in the region, according to a statement from the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) on Sunday.
The evacuation order for the Port-Cartier Institution was issued on Friday, with inmates being transferred to other secure federal correctional facilities. Specific details about the relocation were not disclosed. “To carry out the evacuation, we put measures in place, together with our partners, to maintain the safety and security of our staff, the public, and the offenders in our care and custody,” the CSC stated in a news release.
Quebec’s wildfire agency, SOPFEU, reported on Friday that lightning had sparked seven fires north of Port-Cartier, with two of them being out of control. While the current wildfire season across Canada has been less destructive compared to the record-breaking 2023 season, which saw more than 15 million hectares burned, the federal government is predicting another hotter-than-average summer.
The CSC indicated that the emergency situation is ongoing and efforts are underway to determine when it will be safe to reopen the Port-Cartier Institution.
Melissa Enoch
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