New air-quality warning issued as B.C. smoke returns
Smoke from British Columbia wildfires blanketed part of Western Canada from Vancouver Island to central Alberta on Tuesday, prompting air-quality advisories in both provinces.
While much of B.C. has been under air-quality warnings for days, Environment Canada said Tuesday all of western and central Alberta, including Calgary, will have poor air quality because of smoke from hundreds of B.C. fires.
“During a wildfire, smoke conditions can change quickly over short distances and can vary considerably hour-by-hour.
Air quality is expected to be intermittently poor for the remainder of the week,” the national weather agency said.
Wednesday’s forecast calls for “widespread smoke” in the Calgary region, with temperatures reaching 30 C.
Environment Canada warned people may experience coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath, and children, seniors and those with cardiovascular or lung diseases are especially at risk.
“Pollution can aggravate their diseases, leading to increased medication use, doctor and emergency room visits,” the agency said in a statement.
Some 564 wildfires were burning across B.C., displacing about 3,000 people and forcing nearly 18,000 more to be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice.
About 25 new wildfires were sparked between Monday morning and midday Tuesday, slightly less than in recent days, fire information officer Ryan Turcot said. On Saturday alone, 143 new wildfires ignited.
There were 3,478 crew members working on the fires, including front-line firefighters and support workers behind the scenes. The federal government has agreed to send 200 troops to help with mopup of contained fires, freeing BC Wildfire Service crews and other firefighters to head to more active fires where extra resources were necessary, said Turcot.
Hundreds of troops also pitched in last summer during the worst wildfire season on record in the province. But calling in the Armed Forces is relatively rare, he said, with the last time prior to 2017 believed to be in 2003.
“By the time we’ve looked at requesting federal assistance, that’s indicative of a well-above-average fire season,” said Turcot.
The service has responded to about 1,792 wildfires in B.C. since April 1, compared with about 1,000 this time last year.
But less land has burned, with 3,760 square kilometres scorched this year compared with 7,290 last year.
Lightning has sparked most of this year’s blazes, but 404 of them are believed to have been caused by humans.
Turcot urged people to obey campfire bans and avoid any ac- tivities that could start new fires.
“That’s 404 human-caused wildfires that never had to happen,” he said.
“Given the amount of wildfires on the landscape that we’re already dealing with, the last thing we need thrown into that mix is more preventable human-caused wildfires.”
Pollution can aggravate ... diseases, leading to increased medication use, doctor and emergency room visits.