A small forest fire has been extinguished in a provincial park west of Montreal, signalling an early start to the 2024 wildfire season. A spokesperson for Quebec’s forest fire prevention society, known as SOPFEU, said the fire that broke out Saturday in Oka park was likely caused by a discarded cigarette. Stéphane Caron said the 2.1-hectare blaze was put out by local fire departments, with firefighters from SOPFEU arriving Sunday morning to extinguish the remaining smoky spots. Caron said the forest fire season normally gets underway in mid-April but is starting a little earlier than usual due to a less snowy winter.