If you’re not under an evacuation order, stay in your own home.
That’s the message from Emergency Management BC (EMBC), which says a number of people have self-evacuated to larger communities due to wildfire smoke.
Those extra bodies are overwhelming local resources and Emergency Social Services, which are intended for people who have been genuinely forced from their homes, according to the agency.
READ MORE: No long-term health impacts from 2018’s wildfire smoke: B.C. health officer
“While some exceptions were made during this wildfire season, accommodations are now needed for those on evacuation order,” said EMBC in a media release.
B.C.’s chief medical health officer raised concerns about people self-evacuating from communities due to smoke earlier this month.
EMBC said leaving a community due to smoke is no guarantee you’ll escape it, because the poor quality air created by wildfires is constantly shifting with weather patterns.
READ MORE: Breathing easy: How to avoid the long-term health consequences of B.C. wildfire smoke
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In fact, due to weather patterns, air quality may actually be worse in many major population centres throughout the province, EMBC said.
It added that relocation can actually increase health concerns by adding to an evacuee’s stress and anxiety.
EMBC said people concerned about wildfire smoke should stay indoors with the doors and windows closed, and reduce time spent outside where possible.
WATCH: Heavy wildfire smoke drifts into Prince George causing dark skies
People are also advised to avoid strenuous activities, and to visit places such as malls, swimming pools and libraries that have clean, filtered air.
The advisory from the province came as a shift in weather improved air quality in many regions of B.C.
Castlegar and Cranbrook remained under 10+, or “very high risk” Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) readings on Saturday, while Prince George and Quesnel remained “high risk.”
However, several communities heavily impacted by the smoke, including Williams Lake and the Central and South Okanagan, saw significant clearing, with AQHI readings dipping to “low risk” measurements.
READ MORE: Wildfire smoke is so thick in Prince George, it looks like night after the sun has risen
An air quality advisory has been rescinded for Metro Vancouver.
Air quality in the North Okanagan and Kamloops remained at “moderate risk” levels on Saturday.
Despite the improvement, the vast majority of B.C. remained under air quality advisories or smoky skies bulletins from Environment Canada on the weekend.
For weeks, much of B.C. has been blanketed under thick smoke from wildfires that have scorched more than 800,000 hectares of forest.
That smoke has drifted across Canada, heavily affecting Alberta and now drifting as far as the Maritimes and even Ireland.
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