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☆ Wildfire-hit British Columbia blanketed with hazardous smoke pollution
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] A boat passes under the Lions Gate bridge to enter Vancouver Harbour, shrouded in a haze of wildfire smoke, as seen from Cypress Mountain in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren Acquire Licensing RightsREVELSTOKE, British Columbia, Aug 21 (Reuters) - Millions of people in the western Canadian province of British Columbia were under air quality warnings on Monday as hundreds of wildfires filled the skies with smoke and turned the sun orange. In the cities of Kelowna and Kamloops, the air quality index (AQI) was above 350, a "hazardous" level, real-time air quality information platform IQAir showed. Wildfire smoke is a seasonal occurrence for much of heavily-forested British Columbia, but the number of wildfires and amount of land burned is trending higher as a result of climate change, increasing concerns about the impact on human health. "This type of extreme smoke event covering all of our province does not happen every year," said Jalena Bennett, smoke information specialist with BlueSky Canada, adding 2018 was the last time wildfire smoke was so widespread.

Persons: Chris Helgren, Jalena Bennett, Ash, Marie, Eve Hervieux, Bobby Sekhon, Nia Williams, Denny Thomas, Josie Kao Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, British Columbia, BlueSky, Environment, Thomson Locations: Lions, Vancouver, Cypress Mountain, North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Rights REVELSTOKE, Canadian, British, Kelowna, Kamloops, Lahore, Pakistan, BlueSky Canada, Shuswap Lake, Environment Canada, Metro Vancouver, Revelstoke

☆ Canada to deploy military in British Columbia to tackle fast-spreading fires
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Summary British Columbia declares state of emergency after wildfiresFlames have led to evacuation orders for more than 35,000 peopleAQI of some British Columbia cities at 'hazardous' levelsREVELSTOKE, British Columbia, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Canada is sending the military to tackle fast-spreading wildfires in British Columbia, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Sunday, as the western province deals with flames that have led to evacuation orders for more than 35,000 people. In some cities in British Columbia, the air quality index (AQI), which measures major pollutants including particulate matter produced by fires, was above 350, a "hazardous" level, IQAir, a real-time air quality information platform showed. West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said he saw some hope after battling "epic" fires for the past four days. Since 2009, Canada has been spending more on fighting and suppressing wildfires than on maintaining its firefighting personnel and program. In British Columbia, the TransCanada highway was closed near Chase, about 400 km (250 miles) northeast of Vancouver.

Persons: Justin Trudeau, Jason Brolund, that's, Brolund, Trudeau, Krista Flesjer, Kip Lumquist, Lumquist, Nia Williams, Dan Whitcomb, Nilutpal, Denny Thomas, Mark Porter, Matthew Lewis, Lisa Shumaker, Gerry Doyle, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Columbia, Flames, British Columbia, Kelowna College, ., Canadian Broadcasting Corp, Reuters, U.S ., Canadian, REUTERS Acquire, Government, Thomson Locations: Columbia, REVELSTOKE, British Columbia, Canada, British, Kelowna, U.S, U.S . Pacific Northwest, Washington, Oregon, Squilax, Kamloops, New York, U.S . East Coast, Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Chase, Vancouver, Craigellachie, Los Angeles, Bengaluru

☆ Canada wildfire smoke drifts into US and triggers new air quality alerts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Eric Zerkel | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A recent outbreak of wildfires in western Canada is again sending a plume of unhealthy smoke into the United States. The smoke could also cause issues in Iowa and Illinois, including Chicago, which experienced some of the worst air quality in the world amid heavy smoke in late-June. On Friday, the encroaching smoke dropped air quality in parts of Montana and North Dakota to code red, or unhealthy levels on the Air Quality Index, and to code orange, or unhealthy for sensitive groups, in Minnesota, according to airnow.gov. One firefighter died Thursday responding to one of the blazes near Revelstoke, British Columbia, a press release from the firefighter’s union said. “The news from British Columbia – that one of the firefighters bravely battling wildfires has lost her life – is heartbreaking,” Trudeau said.

Persons: Pete Laing, Justin Trudeau, “, –, ” Trudeau, ” Organizations: CNN, Montana and, Centers for Disease Control, BC Wildfire Service, Indiana ., Indiana . British Columbia, Canadian, Twitter, British Columbia Locations: Canada, United States, Midwest, Minnesota , Wisconsin, Upper Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Chicago, Canadian, Quebec, New York, Montana, Montana and North Dakota, Minnesota, Kamloops , British Columbia, Canada’s province, British Columbia, Indiana . British, Revelstoke , British Columbia, British

☆ Canada's drought-stricken British Columbia bracing for floods when rains return
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oct 13 (Reuters) - Canada's British Columbia province on Thursday warned residents to prepare for flooding when rains eventually return after a prolonged drought exacerbated by climate change that has raised concerns about long-term damage to ecosystems ranging from glaciers to salmon rivers. Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia, received less than a sixth of its average rainfall in August and September and has received only 0.2 millimetres so far in October, according to Environment Canada. Salmon migrate from the ocean to rivers to spawn at this time of year, but this month social media pictures showed thousands of dead salmon in a dried-up stream in central British Columbia. While the dry fall is less damaging than the heat dome that engulfed British Columbia last summer, it is still not good for glaciers' long-term health, said Brian Menounos, a professor of geography at the University of Northern British Columbia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nia Williams in Revelstoke, British Columbia; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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