Air quality advisory lifted for some parts of southern B.C., warnings remain for others

Improved air quality in some parts of southern B.C. prompted officials to lift advisories in those areas.

Metro Vancouver Regional District said Wednesday it lifted an air quality advisory for Metro Vancouver and the central Fraser Valley. The advisory was in place since Sept. 10, but the district said air quality in the area had “gradually improved.” Haze was expected to continue through Thursday, however.

“A more substantial change in the weather is forecast to occur on Friday (Sept. 16) and will further improve air quality,” a statement from Metro Vancouver said.

“While the advisory has ended for portions of the airshed, fine particulate matter concentrations are still somewhat elevated.”

The advisory was not lifted for eastern Fraser Valley, which includes Chilliwack, Agassiz and Hope. Smoke concentrations remained primarily because of the Flood Falls Trail fire.

Environment Canada’s air quality statements echoed the district’s, with most of southern B.C. still under advisories, except for Metro Vancouver and western parts of Vancouver Island.

“A weather system from the south is bringing both thundershowers and smoke to the southern regions of the province,” Environment Canada’s advisory said.

“These mixed conditions mean that smoke is expected to be highly variable based on local weather, winds and terrain.”

WILDFIRES OF NOTE

As of Thursday morning, there were five wildfires of note in the province. Two were in the Coastal Fire Centre, two in the Prince George Fire Centre and one in the Southeast.

The Flood Falls Trail fire near Hope remained out of control as of Wednesday night, but evacuation orders for the area were no longer in place.

The Heather Lake fire, burning in E.C. Manning Park, measured at nearly 11,000 hectares Wednesday. About half of it is burning in Canada, while the rest is burning in the United States, where the fire originated.

Smoke from the 29,600-hectare Battleship Mountain fire, near Hudson’s Hope, is impacting the Peace region, Robson Valley and Prince George, Environment Canada said. That fire was discovered on Aug. 30 and also remains out of control.