Smoke from Washington state fires leads to air quality warnings on Vancouver Island

Wildfires burning down in Washington state are creating a significant amount of smoke over Vancouver Island as of Tuesday.

On Tuesday morning, much of southern B.C., including the Island, Coastal Mainland, the Okanagan, as well as the Kootenays and Boundary, was put under a smoky skies bulletin (special air quality statement).

Localized impacts in the East and West Kootenays are also expected from the Doctor Creek and Talbott Creek wildfires.

On Vancouver Island, the air quality statement is in effect for Duncan, Nanaimo, East Vancouver Island from Nanoose Bay to Fanny Bay, Greater Victoria, inland Vancouver Island, west Vancouver Island and the Southern Gulf Islands.

The bulletin can be accessed online here.

The regions under a Smoky Skies Bulletin as of Sept 8. (Province of BC)

Multiple satellite images and forecast models depict changes in the wind having a big impact on smoke spreading along the west coast, including most of Vancouver Island. This is visibly affecting air quality.

As of Tuesday morning, a thick haze could be seen in the air around the southern regions of Vancouver Island, with a notable smell of woodsmoke outside. By early Tuesday afternoon, the smoke was noticeable in central parts of Vancouver Island.

British Columbia’s Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) had indicated that in the Victoria and Duncan areas, high concentrations of smoke particles are creating health risks for residents. Victoria, the West Shore and Duncan had hit 10 on the AQHI scale at different points earlier Tuesday.

On the AQHI scale, a 10 rating means that there is a “very high risk” to people’s health and the agency is recommending people in the area avoid strenuous activities outdoors, while children and the elderly should also avoid outdoor physical exertion.

Carol Connolly, a public information officer with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in the U.S., says the smoke is likely from the Cold Spring and Pearl Hill fire in northern Washington state, which have grown to a combined size of 155 square kilometres.

Connolly says the fires, which sprung up over the past 24 hours, are under investigation.

She says she expects the smoke to linger over parts of B.C. for at least the next few days.

According to a fire map published by the Northwest Interagency Coordination Centre (NWCC), the largest fire is the Cold Spring fire, burning in Washington is in the central region of the state. This fire is currently estimated to be around 67,000 acres or approximately 27,000 hectares.

Environment Canada also posted a special weather statement on Tuesday morning for most of Vancouver Island, stating that “an upper ridge of high pressure will draw warm air northward from the United States this week.”

Officials with Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) are describing multiple wildfires burning across the state as dangerous and fast-moving. The high winds and dry conditions are creating risks of the fires and smoke to spread rapidly, according to Washington’s DNR. King 5 is reporting hundreds of thousands of acres are still burning on Tuesday.

In a tweet from Hilary Franz, who is the Commissioner of Public Lands with Washington’s Department of Natural Resources, the video shows thick smoke blanketing a roadway in the state, causing limited visibility.

Franz adds that almost 300,000 acres of Washington burned in the matter of a day and that new fires continue to start.

Photographers also captured the heavy haze that hangs over Seattle on Sept. 8.

All of the regions under a Smoky Skies Bulletin: 

• Arrow Lakes – Slocan Lake includes Slocan, New Denver, Nakusp, and Fauquier
• Boundary includes Grand Forks, Midway and Greenwood
• East Kootenay (North) includes Edgewater, Invermere, Canal Flats and Skookumchuck
• East Kootenay (South) includes Kimberley, Cranbrook, Yahk, Moyie, Wasa Lake Provincial Park, Jaffray, Grasmere and Roosville
• Duncan extends from Ladysmith to Shawnigan Lake
• East Vancouver Island (central) includes Nanoose Bay, Parksville, Coombs, Qualicum
  Beach, Fanny Bay, Hornby Island
• Greater Victoria includes Sidney, Victoria, Saanich, Langford, Metchosin
• Howe Sound includes Horseshoe Bay, Lions Bay, Squamish, Bowen Island. There
  is some overlap between areas of Metro Vancouver (e.g. Horseshoe Bay, Lions Bay,
  Bowen Island) considered part of the Lower Fraser Valley Airshed and the Howe Sound zone used by BC ENV for issuing smoky skies bulletins. A smoky skies bulletin could be issued for the Howe Sound zone before the thresholds are reached to trigger an air quality advisory issued by Metro Vancouver for these overlapping parts of the Lower Fraser Valley Airshed. This should not be interpreted as conflicting information; it reflects the different approaches to notifications about wildfire smoke within the two agencies.
• Inland Vancouver Island includes Lake Cowichan, Nahmint, Port Alberni, central portions of Strathcona Park and Schoen Lake Provincial Park
• Kootenay Lake includes Creston and Kaslo
• Nanaimo includes Cedar, South Wellington, and Cassidy
• North Okanagan includes Vernon, Armstrong, Enderby, Lavington and Lumby
• Similkameen includes Princeton
• South Okanagan includes Penticton, Summerland, Naramata, Keremeos, Oliver and Osoyoos
• Southern Gulf Islands includes Southern Gulf Islands
• Sunshine Coast (south) includes Sechelt, Gibsons, and Earls Cove
• West Kootenay includes Nelson, Castlegar, Trail, Rossland
• West Vancouver Island includes Tofino, Uclulet, Port Renfrew, Sooke
• Whistler includes Whistler and Pemberton

The B.C. government said is reminding people that during a wildfire, smoke conditions can change quickly over short distances and can vary considerably hour-by-hour.

It is important to be mindful that exposure to smoke may affect your health, the government said.

People with pre-existing health conditions, respiratory infections such as COVID-19, older adults, pregnant women and infants, children, and sensitive individuals are more likely to experience health effects from smoke exposure.

During smoky conditions, people should:

• Stop or reduce your activity level if breathing becomes uncomfortable or you feel
  unwell.
• Stay cool and drink plenty of fluids.
• If you have asthma or other chronic illness, carry any rescue (fast-acting) medications with you at all times and activate your personal care plan that has been designed with your family physician.
• Make sure that children and others who cannot care for themselves follow the same advice.
• Monitor conditions. People respond differently to smoke. Mild irritation and discomfort are common and usually disappear when the smoke clears.
• Exposure to wildfire smoke and the virus that causes COVID-19 can both result in respiratory symptoms such as a dry cough, sore throat, or difficulty breathing. Use the BC COVID-19 Self
• Assessment Tool to help determine whether you need further assessment or testing for COVID-19.
• If you are unsure whether you need medical care, call HealthLink BC at 811.
• If you are experiencing difficulty in breathing, chest pain or discomfort, or a severe cough, contact your health care provider, walk-in clinic, or emergency department.
• If you are having a medical emergency, call 911.
• Smoke levels may be lower indoors but will still be elevated, so stay aware of your symptoms even when you are indoors.
• Running a commercially available HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filter can improve indoor air quality in the room where the device is located.
• If you have a forced-air heating/cooling system in your home, it may help to change the filter and set the fan to run continuously.
• Reduce indoor air pollution sources such as smoking, burning incense, and frying foods.
• If travelling in a car with air conditioning, keep the windows up and the ventilation set to recirculate.
• If you are very sensitive to smoke, consider moving to another location with cleaner air, but be aware that conditions can change rapidly.
• Maintaining good overall health is a good way to prevent health effects resulting from short-term exposure to air pollution.

With files from The Canadian Press

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