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With more hot, dry, smoggy and smoky conditions forecast for the South Coast of B.C. on Thursday, officials are warning an air quality advisory will remain in place and the risk of wildfires in parks is growing.
The smog will be worst in the eastern parts of the Fraser Valley, including Chilliwack, Abbotsford and Hope, according to Ken Reid, the air quality planner for Metro Vancouver.
Similar conditions are also forecast for the Greater Victoria area, where the air quality health rating was forecast to hit six on Thursday, the upper range of the moderate category, and that could raise health concerns for some people, said Reid.
"The health messages from Environment Canada and Health Canada would suggest that the general public don't need to take any precautions at that level, but there may be at risk segments of the public who have pre-existing conditions, maybe asthma, and they may experience a worsening of symptoms," said Reid.
The air quality advisory will remain in effect until at least Friday, when cooler weather is expected, and in the meantime, people should avoid driving or using gas-powered lawnmowers as much as possible, he said.
Temperatures raise fire risk
The unseasonable heat wave has been breaking records across B.C., including highs of 32 degrees Celsius in Comox on Wednesday, 27.5 in Port Hardy, 29.8 in Terrace, and 31.3 in Victoria.
The fire warning for Stanley Park was raised to high on Wednesday. The fire warning for Stanley Park was raised to high on Wednesday. (CBC)
The really hot spots in the province, however, were east of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley, where Agassiz hit 33 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, and further up the Fraser Canyon where Lytton hit 35.8 degrees.
With the hot dry conditions fanning more than a dozen wildfires across B.C., Vancouver Fire Captain Gabe Roder warned that Metro Vancouver's parks are tinder dry and asked the public to be careful when discarding cigarettes.
"What we need to ask people to do is to be extremely cognitive or to be aware of what they're doing. If they're going to go and smoke a cigarette while they're going for a walk, to please discard that cigarette in a real responsible manner," said Roder on Wednesday.
The fire hazard rating for most of B.C. is either moderate, high or extreme. Provincial fire information officer Kim Steinbart said there are restrictions in place on burning backyard debris for Vancouver Island, the South and Central coast areas, and the Cariboo and Kamloops regions.
"It's very important that anywhere you are in the province, if you're traveling somewhere or around the lower mainland, it's very important to be extra cautious with any fire use campfires, discarding cigarettes, or any kind of backyard burning at this time, said Seinbart.
Despite the conditions, there are no campfire bans in place for B.C.
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