A brush fire burned for hours on Sunday in the eastern end of Montreal, helped by warm, dry conditions and the wind.
The fire was called in about 11:20 am near and around the Club de Golf de l’Ile on Damien-Gauthier St. in Riviere-des-Prairies-Pointe-aux-Trembles borough.
Four hours later it was still a three-alarm fire, with about 85 firefighters battling the blaze, said Patrick Fournel, chief of operations at the Montreal fire department (SIM).
The dry vegetation and cattails helped the flames spread, he said. But the fire was not threatening any homes by mid-afternoon.
There were no reported injuries.
Quebec’s fire Protection Agency, the SOPFEU, has issued a ban on open air fires for much of southern Quebec. The ban includes camp fires and even backyard fires people may start to burn old leaves.
On Sunday the agency’s website listed six active fires across the province and there have been 99 fires so far this year.