Hazy, smoky sky across Metro Vancouver thanks to wildfires
Posted August 1, 2017 6:44 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
WILLIAMS LAKE (NEWS 1130) – The start of August also means the beginning of an air quality advisory in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley which is the result of smoke rolling in from the BC wildfires in the Interior.
This all stems from the smoke meeting record-breaking heat that’s expected this week that could make things even worse.
The worst days are expected to be today and tomorrow, but the poor air quality could persist through the week.
The advisory says exposure to the fine particulate matter is a concern for the very young, the very old, and those who have illnesses like diabetes and lung or heart disease.
Hot temperatures can be dangerous especially if you have:
- breathing difficulties
- heart problems
- hypertension
- kidney problems
- a mental illness such as depression or dementia
- Parkinson’s disease or if you take medication for any of these conditions
Meanwhile, a newly sparked wildfire has put 51 properties under an evacuation alert between Skookumchuck and Canal Flats in the Kootenays. In just one day, the fire has grown to over one-third the size of Stanley Park, at 150 hectares.
Peter Ufford who lives on the Lower Mainland, lost his cabin earlier this month on Loon Lake and he sums up the feeling of losing a big part of his world. “It’s shocking — that’s the only word to describe it. It is a great sense of loss for sure.”
Watch for symptoms of heat illness:
- dizziness or fainting
- nausea or vomiting
- headache
- rapid breathing and heartbeat
- extreme thirst (dry mouth or sticky saliva) and decreased urination with unusually dark yellow urine
Over the last two days, seven new fires have been ignited and to date more than 426,000 hectares have been scorched and the BC Wildfire Service says we’re only now officially entering fire season.
