Interior Health urges people to stay indoors as wildfire smoke hangs over Kamloops
KAMLOOPS — The wildfire smoke from the fires along the west coast of the United States has reached Kamloops.
“There are lots of fires all the way up the American border in California, Oregon and Washington State, and there are also still a few smaller local fires in B.C. that are contributing locally to some places as well,” said Carmen Hartt, meteorologist with Environment Canada.
The smoke moved in over the weekend, reaching a 10+ rating on Environment Canada’s Air Quality Health Index, the highest rating on the scale. Environment Canada has issued a special air quality advisory for much of B.C. How long the smoke will linger in Kamloops remains to be seen.
“Mid-week, maybe by Wednesday we could see some improvement,” Hartt said. “But because those fires are so big and there’s so much smoke, every time the weather patterns change we could expect a return with more smoke events in the next coming few weeks.”