It’s largely been a summer of blue skies for British Columbia’s Lower Mainland this year, but that’s changed with a wave of wildfire smoke rolling into the region.
The Metro Vancouver Regional District has issued an air quality advisory for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley due to elevated levels of fine particulate matter causing hazy conditions across the region.
At a Wednesday briefing, B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said conditions were expected to worsen, with much of Southern B.C. to be affected in the days to come.
“We should expect to see wildfire smoke come south in the days ahead. Weather forecasters are saying that the smoke is going to be a major factor in the next 24 to 72 hours,” Parmar said.
“There are already reports of smoke hitting communities. We do expect more smoke to arrive in the central and southern interior tonight or tomorrow, and reach Abbotsford and the coast by Friday.”
The particulate is coming from fires near Hope and Whistler, in the Cariboo, in northern Washington state and from as far away as the Yukon and Northwest Territories, with wind patterns driving the smoke to the South Coast.
Large portions of the northern and central interior of the province have already been dealing with smoky conditions for days.
As of noon on Wednesday, the Air Quality Health Index for Vancouver, the North Shore, Burnaby and New Westminster was listed at 10-plus, or “very high risk.” Richmond and Delta were listed at a 7, or “high risk,” while southern and eastern parts of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley were listed as 3, or “low risk.”
Metro Vancouver said the air quality advisory is expected to remain in place for several days, until there is a change in weather patterns.
The City of Vancouver said it had opened additional cleaner air spaces in municipal facilities to help people get out of the smoke.
The New Westminster School District has responded to the advisory by moving all outdoor activities inside as a precaution.
Dr. Sarah Henderson scientific director of environmental health at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control said the smoke is arriving at the same time as a bout of unseasonably hot weather, which increases the risk it presents.
“Both heat and wildfire smoke are stressors on the body and simply put, heat makes wildfire smoke worse and wildfire smoke makes heat worse,” Henderson said.
“So when these two things happen together, we see a bigger impact than when either of them is happening alone.”
Henderson said anyone whose health is compromised on a day-to-day basis is likely to feel the smoke impact the hardest. Pregnant people, young children, seniors and people who work outdoors are also at higher risk, she said.
“Take it easy when you’re outdoors, now’s the time to go for a walk, instead of a hard run. Wear a well-fitted, N95, or similar respirator to help cut the particles in that smoke,” she said.
“Drink plenty of water to help with that systemic inflammation that the smoke is going to cause. And most importantly, listen to your body. Don’t try to tough it out.”
Metro Vancouver advises people to keep doors and windows closed where temperatures allow, and to use a good-quality air filter in their ventilation system.
People who must be outside can protect themselves with a well-fitting respirator-type mask, such as a NIOSH-certified N95 mask or equivalent.
As of Wednesday, there were 155 active wildfires across British Columbia, 58 of them listed as out of control.