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Wildfires spread in B.C., N.W.T., forcing evacuations and sending smoke east

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Wildfires spread in B.C., N.W.T., forcing evacuations and sending smoke east
By Katie Dangerfield & Sean Boynton Global News
Posted August 18, 2023 2:34 pm

WATCH: Time-lapse of the McDougall Creek wildfire burning in West Kelowna
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As wildfires maintain a fierce grip on western and northern regions of Canada, the smoke is projected to spread across the Prairie provinces into the weekend, and potentially further east across the country.

This is Canada’s worst-ever wildfire season with more than 1,000 active fires burning across the country, including 265 in the Northwest Territories.

British Columbia declared a state of emergency Friday due to the “unprecedented” situation, Premier David Eby said. All residents of Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, and nearby First Nations were given until 12 p.m. MT on Friday to evacuate as smoke continued to billow in the area.

A fast-moving wildfire blazed through West Kelowna Thursday, destroying several homes and businesses. On Friday, the wildfire jumped Okanagan Lake to threaten the larger city of Kelowna and nearby communities. The smoke grounded planes at Kelowna International Airport and airspace was closed over the region.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was visiting the Edmonton Expo Centre that was housing evacuees from Yellowknife and other northern communities, told reporters Friday residents in Kelowna were facing “an extraordinarily scary afternoon.”

He urged people to heed evacuation orders and follow advice from B.C. officials, after commending those who fled the Northwest Territories before the Friday deadline.

Click to play video: 'B.C. wildfires: Thousands of properties on evacuation order or alert'
2:50
B.C. wildfires: Thousands of properties on evacuation order or alert
West Kelowna fire chief Jason Brolund said Friday that firefighters were forced to put their lives at risk to rescue people who had not evacuated as ordered the night before.

Police and firefighters were going door to door in West Kelowna, where thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate from more than 2,500 properties as the hills surrounding their Okanagan community erupted in flames.

RCMP said they were deploying officers to secure evacuation zones.

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B.C. officials said Friday evening about 15,000 people were under evacuation order across the province, with another 20,000 people on alert.

Click to play video: 'Refusal to heed evacuation orders putting emergency crews at risk'
1:27
Refusal to heed evacuation orders putting emergency crews at risk
N.W.T. officials, meanwhile, confirmed Friday evening that over 19,000 people had been successfully evacuated from Yellowknife and the surrounding area — accounting for nearly all of the roughly 20,000 residents ordered to flee.

Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty told Global News her city was emptying, albeit slower than she wanted it to. More than two dozen flights chartered by the territory and the military were provided to take people south Friday, and thousands more took the lone highway out of Yellowknife.

“Flights will continue until there is nobody else left to evacuate,” she said.

Click to play video: 'N.W.T. wildfires: Yellowknife is emptying as evacuees arrive in Edmonton'
4:07
N.W.T. wildfires: Yellowknife is emptying as evacuees arrive in Edmonton
Trudeau said in Edmonton that the federal government was coordinating with local, provincial and territorial officials in B.C. and the N.W.T., and that Ottawa would be there to help with rebuilding and protecting communities from future extreme weather events.

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“We’re all going to get through this incredibly difficult summer together,” he said.

Health concerns in east
As people flee their homes and communities burn in the west and north, provinces to the east are set to see impacts from the wildfires as well.

“Smoke from wildfires is still expected to affect a large part of the Prairie provinces into the weekend,” explained Global News meteorologist Ross Hull. “Winds out of the northwest have been driving smoke from wildfires in B.C., northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories to the south and east across the country.”

Parts of northern Ontario and Quebec could have air quality impacts due to this smoke, he said. And a change in wind direction will likely alleviate the current smoke risk in central and eastern Canada into the weekend.

BlueSky Canada, a forecast system showing weather and forest fire information, projects the wildfire smoke from western Canada will make its way across the country into Friday evening and even stretch as far as New York City.

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Wildfires spread in B.C., N.W.T., forcing evacuations and sending smoke east - image
Bluesky Canada
Environment Canada has also issued special air quality statements for parts of central and eastern Canada.

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In southern Saskatchewan, wildfire smoke from fires in southern B.C. is moving across the province Friday, according to Environment Canada.

“Conditions will improve this evening when a cold front sweeps across the area,” the environmental department said. “Wildfire smoke concentrations can fluctuate over short distances and vary considerably from hour to hour.”

In parts of northern Manitoba, smoke from the wildfires is expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility, but “improvement is expected later today as the current smoke plume is pushed off east,” Environment Canada said.

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Wildfire threatening West Kelowna expands to 10,500 hectares
And in northern Ontario, Environment Canada said, poor air quality conditions due to smoke from forest fires have developed and the conditions are likely to persist Friday evening across far northwestern Ontario before improving.

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Wildfires spread in B.C., N.W.T., forcing evacuations and sending smoke east - image
Wildfire smoke forcast
Federal Health Minister Mark Holland, spoke about the wildfires Friday at the Canadian Medical Association summit in Ottawa, highlighting the link between poor air quality and health.

“The evacuation that is occurring, the devastation that is happening there…that some folks are going to come back and now have a home…how could you not be gripped by that?” he said.

“The declining planet with worse air and extreme weather events is going to have incredibly injurious effects on our health-care system. In the Northwest Territories today what are we doing with the folks who have to evacuate and can’t go to health-care providers in their own jurisdiction?”

How to protect yourself against wildfire smoke
When a wildfire burns, it releases pollutants into the air, including sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds, which can be hazardous to human health in the short and long term.

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“It can travel miles and miles away from the actual fire,” Angela Yao, a senior scientist at B.C. Centre for Disease Contro, previously told Global News on May 11.“And when it reaches us, it can get pretty deep into our lungs and cause inflammation.”

And symptoms from wildfire smoke can vary.

Mild symptoms may include irritated eyes, sore throat or headaches. More severe symptoms such as wheezing, shortness of breath and chest pains are more likely to affect vulnerable groups such as young children, the elderly, pregnant women and those with pre-existing conditions like asthma or diabetes, Yao said.

Click to play video: '‘Run for your life’: NWT residents flee wildfires, find refuge in Alberta'
2:37
‘Run for your life’: NWT residents flee wildfires, find refuge in Alberta
The first way to protect yourself against wildfire smoke is to check the Health Canada Air Quality Health Index, Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency physician in the Northwest Territories who is also a wildfire and health researcher, previously told Global News.

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The air quality health index ranges from low risk (around one to three on the scale) to high risk (around seven to 10 on the scale).

If the air quality index is reading high risk, Howard said, people should refrain from any outdoor activity and stay inside if possible.

If the scale is moderate risk, Howard said people who have varying vulnerabilities, such as a pre-existing respiratory condition, may want to modify their activities as there is some risk.

Another way to stay protected is to invest in a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, she added.

“If you do need to go outside, it is recommended to put on an N95 or KN95 mask,” Howard said. “If you do have a well-fitting mask, it can filter out a majority of the smoke.”

— with files from Reuters

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