Smoky Skies Advisory Issued Due to Drift from Washington Fire

Smoke from wildfires in Washington State drifted across the Canada-U.S. border Saturday night and is hanging heavily in the skies of Southern British Columbia.

Weather forecasts from Saturday, August 22nd, predicted that gusting southerly winds would cause the Testalinden Creek fire to grow and would bring in smoke from across the border. The winds did come, and residents of the Okanagan Valley, among other regions, are now experiencing a dim, grey sky.

Great shot of the smoke drifting in from US fires by @okv_pix -- tag #kelownanow in your pics. -- Wildfire smoke drifting up the Valley at Sunset in #kelowna

A photo posted by Kelowna Now (@kelownanow) on Aug 22, 2015 at 10:31pm PDT

Heavy smoke from the nearly 20,000-hectare Stickpin fire that was burning only approximately 4 kilometres across the American border in Washington became visible in British Columbia’s Boundary region on Saturday afternoon, and a special air quality statement was issued for the area early Sunday morning.

The smoky skies advisory was issued by the Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the Interior Health Authority, for the southern areas of the Kootenay and Boundary regions and for Port Renfrew, and now the Okanagan Valley is also experiencing this transboundary smoke. Smoky conditions are predicted to vary widely as winds and temperatures continually change and as fire behaviour evolves.


Smoke hanging low above the city of Kelowna on Sunday morning. (Photo Credit: KelownaNow.com)

It is recommended that people in areas experiencing heavy smoke avoid strenuous outdoor activities and that they contact their health care providers if they have difficulty breathing, notice chest pain or discomfort, or if they suddenly begin to cough or experience irritated airways. The condition of infants, the elderly, and those with underlying conditions such as heart or lung disease or diabetes should be monitored closely.

B.C. crews are joining with American firefighters on Sunday, August 23rd, to try to get the Stickpin fire under control.