Smoke from B.C. wildfires covers Alberta cities
WILDFIRES IN B.C. PROMPT EVACUATION ORDERS, TURN SKIES ORANGE ACROSS ALBERTA
The B.C. government has declared a provincial state of emergency as 566 wildfires burn across the region.
Evacuation orders currently affect 3,050 people but another 48 evacuation alerts means almost 19,000 people should be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice if the fires spread.
Meanwhile, the smoke from the fires is turning the sky over some Alberta cities orange, with Calgary and Edmonton being described as looking apocalyptic.
“The orange colour is often the colour you see from the smoke from fires because the particulate matter in the smoke filters out a lot of the blue light from the sun and you see a red tinge,” said John Paul Cragg, Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist.
“It’s like a sunset but it’s over top of you.” Edmonton marathon organizers are also nervously watching the air quality and making contingency plans because of the smoke. “(I was) very concerned, it looked like the apocalypse out there this morning,” John Stanton, marathon organizer and founder of the Running Room, said Wednesday morning. “At first I thought the sun had gone out or (was) certainly rising a little later … then at 7 o’clock it was still dark and I thought, ‘We have a problem here’.”
According to Cragg, Alberta might get a break from the smoke when northerly winds on Sunday could clear some of the smoke.
The B.C. state of emergency is in effect for two weeks and may be extended or rescinded as the situation develops. It gives the authority to various levels of government and policing to do whatever is necessary to fight the fires and protect people.
In a statement, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said, “Public safety is always our first priority and, as wildfire activity is expected to increase, this is a progressive step in our wildfire response to make sure British Columbia has access to any and all resources necessary.
“Taking this step will further ensure we can protect the public, property and infrastructure, and assist with firefighting efforts.”
The smoke has been so severe in places it has turned day into night.
Kiff Woolnough, a carpenter, was driving home to Vanderhoof in northern B.C. from Fort St. James on Tuesday afternoon.
When he left Fort St. James, the skies had actually cleared.
After finishing up work for the day just before 4 p.m. he was driving south when the skies started to fill again with smoke — a black, thick smoke, blown east from the massive Shovel Lake fire, burning about 30 kilometres away.
About halfway between the two communities, the smoke got so thick, Woolnough said it was darker than midnight.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” he said. “It was so black ... you couldn’t see into the bush, to see if there were maybe some animals coming. I slowed right down. It was a little overwhelming.”
Marg Drysdale from the B.C. Wildfire Service’s Northwest Fire Centre said the time that Woolnough was driving was actually the window where wildfires tend to be most active.
“Fires tend to be most active between 4 and 7,” she said, because of how things dry out over the day.
Air quality warnings have also been issued for parts of B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba with authorities warning those with breathing or medical issues, the elderly, infants and those with heart or lung disease to stay inside.
Dr. Jason Cabaj, medical officer of health in the Calgary region, said, “When we get to the levels we’re seeing today, we recommend that those vulnerable groups avoid any strenuous outdoor activities and try to shelter themselves as much as they can.”
Cabaj said the general population should also consider reducing or rescheduling any outdoor activities.
He said emergency rooms have recorded increased visits when there is poor air quality.
I’VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT. IT WAS SO BLACK ... YOU COULDN’T SEE INTO THE BUSH.
“In 2015, when the wildfire situation did last for a week at the end of August, we saw around a 10 to 15 per cent increase in visits related to the kind of things people can be affected with in this kind of event,” he said.
There are 3,372 firefighters and contractors actively fighting the blazes. Some 436 are from other provinces and parts of the world, including Alberta, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Parks Canada, Australia, Mexico and New Zealand.
Last summer’s state of emergency due to wildfires was in effect from July 7 through Sept. 15, a total of 10 weeks.
Kevin Skrepnek of the Wildfire Service said by this time last year, hundreds of homes had been lost to wildfires and tens of thousands of people had been displaced. The human cost has not been as high this year, but the total number of fires is greater.