Co-pilot captures startling aerial images of fires

Weather conditions made wall of smoke extremely visible, alarming and crisp

An Alberta pilot who in a series of aerial photographs captured a wall of smoke moving across British Columbia’s Interior says he’s never seen anything like it.

“I’ve been flying for 20 years and I see smoke every summer, but nothing quite as defined,” said Matt Melnyk, who snapped the pictures Wednesday during an hour-long flight to Vancouver from Calgary.

Melnyk, a Calgary co-pilot with WestJet, said there were no clouds in the sky at 40,000 feet, just east of Kelowna.

“I could see the mountains and that huge line of smoke,” said the former Edmontonian in a Thursday interview.

“The specific weather that was occurring at that moment made it so visible, and so alarming and crisp.

“I couldn’t believe it.” Firefighters are battling hundreds of wildfires in high temperatures across B.C., many sparked by lightning strikes. The provincial wildfire service has listed the fire danger rating as high to extreme across most of the province.

Northwestern B.C. and the southwest coast, including Vancouver Island, are at particular risk for new fires that can spread rapidly, according to the rating.

Environment Canada has issued an air quality statement for the Edmonton area due to wildfire smoke wafting in from the B.C. It’s causing poor air quality and reducing visibility, but that can change quickly, said the agency.

PHOTOS: MATT MELNYK Matt Melnyk was flying from Calgary to Vancouver Wednesday when he took these photos of the B.C. wildfires from 40,000 feet.

Northwestern B.C. and the southwest coast are at particular risk for new fires that can spread rapidly, according to an official provincial rating system.

There were no clouds in the sky at 40,000 feet, just east of Kelowna.

Alberta pilot Matt Melnyk has been flying for two decades but has never seen anything quite like this before. “I couldn’t believe it,” he said.