Province issues Air Quality Statement to the Heat Warning for North Coast Inland areas

Wildfire smoke in the BC atmosphere is having an impact on regions of the Northwest Inland areas, with the British Columbia Ministry of Environment and Climate Change issuing an advisory for much of Northern British Columbia today, noting that the effects of the current advisory are to be in place for the next forty eight hours at least.

The smoky skies of the Northwest are the result of fires burning in a number of areas of British Columbia, across Canada and even from as far away as Eurasia, with the haze at times making for some remarkable sunsets over the last few nights.

At the moment, the Northwest Fire Centre out of Smithers notes that there are only three wildfires burning in the region, meaning that they are not the primary source of the current smoke and subsequent Air Quality concerns.

Advice from Northern Health during the Air Quality Statement period includes the following guidelines:

Stop or reduce your activity level if breathing becomes difficult or you feel unwell. 

Stay cool and drink plenty of fluids. 

Carry any rescue medications with you at all times. 

Make sure that children and others who cannot care for themselves follow the same advice. Monitor your symptoms 

Different people have different responses to smoke.

Mild irritation and discomfort are common, and usually disappear when the smoke clears.
People with asthma or other chronic illness should activate the personal care plans they have designed with their family physicians. 

If you are unsure whether you need medical care, call HealthLink BC at 8-1-1. 

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 9-1-1.

Details and other resources related to air quality concerns can be found from the Smoky Skies Bulletin for July 25th can be reviewed here.


The Air Quality Statement comes as the North Coast Inland areas remain under a Heat Warning Advisory, which was issued earlier this week, more details on that alert can be found here.

Temperatures are expected to continue to top the thirty degree range for much of the next seven days.

You can follow further updates from Environment Canada through their website and from the #BCStorm twitter feed.

For more notes about past weather events in the Northwest see our archive here.

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