The Smoke

Good morning,

As you’ve noticed, there’s lots of smoke in the air again after a couple of days of relief.  Due to a change in wind direction overnight, these conditions are expected to get worse before they get better.  The smoke is being carried into our area from fires to the south and west of us, including some large fires in the US.  We’ve been getting questions about active backcountry fires.  The best source for this information is the BC Wildfire Service website or information line.  You can check their website at: www.bcwildfire.ca or call: 1-888-3-Forest (1-888-336-7378).  The RDEK gets regular updates from the BC Wildfire Service if there’s a ‘Fire of Note’ in our area (which is one that is threatening people or structures).  At this time, there are no Fires of Note in the RDEK.

If you’d like the most up to date information on other fires, here are a couple of websites:

For information on the wildfire situation in B.C, please visit: www.bcwildfire.ca or call: 1-888-3-Forest (1-888-336-7378).

For information on fires in the U.S.A, please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

To report a wildfire or open burning violation on Crown or private land, call 1 800 663-5555 toll-free or *5555 on a cellphone.  If within a municipality, please contact the municipality directly for information on fire bans and/or reporting.

For current road conditions, including closures, please visit: http://www.drivebc.ca/

It may be a good idea to program these numbers and websites into your phone or keep them in a handy spot.

Tracy Van de Wiel

Information Officer

250-489-9677