For six days, wildfire smoke has been blanketing the west coast, causing the worst air quality Vancouver Island has ever seen and challenges for people working outdoors.
“To be honest, it’s been pretty rough!” says Fiona Morelli of Select Express Couriers in Victoria.
“Coming home, feeling really ill at the end of my day is not exactly my favourite part.”
As a bike courier, Morelli isn’t just working outside, she’s also exercising outside — something health officials are warning against.
And even though she’s wearing a mask with a filter, Morelli says she’s still worried.
“I am quite concerned about the health effects right now because it is so severe,” Morelli says. “We’ve had forest fires in the past and you wear a bandanna and you’re usually okay in a day or two.”
Construction workers are also suffering through the smoke — sometimes for up to 12 hours a day.
“It’s heavy on the lungs, I feel it really heavy on the lungs,” says construction worker Ralph Ryan. “My other partner has asthma and he has to wear a ventilated mask all the time.”
Despite the air quality briefly improving in Greater Victoria Wednesday — finally dropping below 10+ to “moderate” this morning, it didn’t take long to go back up again.
The smoky skies bulletin has been extended for the southern half of B.C for the next 24 to 48 hours.
“It’s all about the fine particulate matter,” says meteorologist Armel Castellan of Environment & Climate Change Canada “It’s 2.5 microns and smaller. It goes into your lungs and it’s so small it can go into your blood stream.”
Unfortunately, British Columbia is going to be stuck with the wildfire smoke until the upper low off the south coast moves onshore over the weekend.
Until then, those stuck working outside are doing all they can to survive the smoke.
“I’m learning how to deal with it the best way I can,” says Morelli. “I’m hiding indoors when it’s not as busy and walking through malls if I need to.”
Tess van Straaten
