BURST
Residents across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley woke up to hazy skies on Wednesday as wildfire smoke pushed air quality levels into the high-risk range across much of the region.
Metro Vancouver regional district has issued a yellow air quality warning, which indicates a high health risk, for Metro Vancouver and the Central Fraser Valley, including Abbotsford and Mission, due to high levels of fine particulate matter. Residents are advised to limit outdoor activities.
Metro’s air quality map showed a high health risk across much of Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley on Wednesday.
Air quality in northwest and northeast Metro Vancouver — which includes Vancouver, Burnaby, North Vancouver, West Vancouver, Coquitlam, Port Moody, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge — is at high risk, while the southeast part of the region, including Surrey and Langley, is at medium risk.
The air is significantly better in southwest Metro Vancouver, including Richmond and Delta, which are considered low risk.
“There’s a number of wildfires in and around the Interior causing a lot of smoke and wildfires burning south of the border,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Christy Climenhaga. “It’s just a lot of smoke around.”
Air quality is varied across the region, with downtown Vancouver and inland seeing a bit more smoke compared to Richmond, where a westerly flow is helping push wildfire smoke from the area.
Conditions are worse in the Fraser Valley. An air quality warning remains in effect for the Eastern Fraser Valley including Chilliwack, Agassiz, and Hope. Residents are advised to avoid outdoor activities.
People with lung, heart and other chronic conditions, pregnant women, infants, children, seniors and outdoor workers are more vulnerable, said the advisory.
Climenhaga said the hazy and smoky conditions are expected to ease in Metro Vancouver later Wednesday and into Thursday, but that’s dependent not just on wildfire behaviour but also wind direction and other weather factors.
There are about 120 wildfires across B.C., including six wildfires of note burning in the southern Interior.