Rain in the forecast and the arrival of more foreign reinforcements are raising hopes that Quebec害羞草研究所檚 more than 7,000 fire evacuees will be able to return home in the coming days, the province害羞草研究所檚 public security minister said Tuesday.

Fran莽ois Bonnardel told reporters that rain showers and cooler temperatures should be moving into northwestern Quebec, where powerful forest fires have threatened the towns of Lebel-sur-Qu茅villon and Norm茅tal. The rain should provide some relief to firefighters over the next three or four days 害羞草研究所� and hopefully bring good news for displaced residents eager to return home, Bonnardel said.

害羞草研究所淧eople want a little hope,害羞草研究所� he told reporters Tuesday in Montreal. 害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檓 going to try to give them some by telling them that with the weather forecasts for the next hours, we should be able to give you good news in the next 24, 48 hours.害羞草研究所�

He said there were slightly more than 7,200 evacuees as of Tuesday morning, down from more than 13,500 late last week 害羞草研究所� the number varies from hour to hour.

Residents of Chibougamau, 500 kilometres northwest of Quebec City, were returning home after an evacuation order was lifted Monday, and people from a handful of smaller communities would be able to go home on Tuesday, Bonnardel said.

The situation, he said, remained 害羞草研究所渃oncerning害羞草研究所� in Lebel-sur-Qu茅villon, which has been threatened by two different fires. One fire that came within about two kilometres of a pulp mill was being successfully held back, but another powerful fire further to the south risked getting bigger should the winds shift, he added.

He urged the town害羞草研究所檚 2,000 or so residents to be patient, adding that he hoped all evacuation orders would be lifted this week.

害羞草研究所淚 know people are nervous, are anxious, are eager to return home,害羞草研究所� Bonnardel said. 害羞草研究所淎nd I害羞草研究所檓 telling them to be patient. I know it害羞草研究所檚 not simple or easy for them.害羞草研究所�

He said the fires were being 害羞草研究所渨ell-fought害羞草研究所� in Norm茅tal, located 720 kilometres northwest of Montreal, in the Abitibi region, where flames had reached within 500 metres of town limits in recent days.

Bonnardel said the fire effort would be bolstered by the arrival this week of two contingents of American firefighters, with more reinforcements from Spain and Portugal expected to arrive Wednesday. By the end of the week, he said there should be 1,500 firefighters on the ground.

There were 124 actives fires in the province as of Tuesday morning, down from about 130 on Monday. There have been a total of 451 fires this season, about double the 10-year annual average for this time of year.