Kamloops residents making the best of latest round of wildfire smoke

The BC Wildfire Service says the Brunswick Creek fire on the west side of the Fraser River and the Ainslie Creek fire on the east side have now surpassed a combined 100 square kilometres in size. Heat and high winds – which pushed the smoke toward Kamloops – led to rapid growth of both fires.

“Yesterday was busy till about 3:00 p.m. and then the smoke starting coming in and the park just emptied and we had to shut down early,” Kevin Topping, owner of Okanagan Affordable Rentals, said.

“We weren’t actually going to open up today because of the conditions from last night, but I woke up this morning and looked at the sun and made a determination that we’d try to be open.”

Not everyone has hunkered down as about a dozen committed pickleballers weren’t going to let a little smoke keep them from the courts at Riverside Park.

“It’s good and bad, coming out. I’m not setting a very good example, probably, but I enjoy being out,” joked Klaas Broersma, who was there for a bit of exercise. “I hope the smoke would dissipate and it has quite a bit. We did sweep the courts this morning to get rid of the dust.”

Broersma added there were fewer pickleballers present at the park, meaning shorter wait times between games.

“Normally at 10:00 a.m. it’s so busy here, I leave, as the lineup is about three or four games at a time. But right now, there is no lineup,” Broersma added. “I didn’t feel like sitting in the house so here I am. The smoke doesn’t bother me too much. If I wasn’t here, I’d be working in the garden.”

Orange air quality advisory issued

But it’s not all fun and games. The Provincial Government has issued an orange level air quality advisory for the South Thompson and the Shuswap areas Wednesday morning. Environment Canada is expecting the smoke to stick around for a couple days.

“I kind of foresee it going on at least for the next two or three days,” meteorologist Morgen Shull told CFJC Today. “It would need either the fire obviously to be put out, heavy rain or a few wind shifts to really change the air quality in the Kamloops region.”

“It could continue longer because into this weekend, it’s looking dry and warm but let’s be optimistic – it should shift and it could clear right up.”

While the pungent odour is a familiar sign of summers in the Interior, the weather agency as well as health officials are still urging people to take proper precautions until the smoke blows over. The next air quality update is expected to come sometime Thursday and details will be shared here.

“Keep an eye on these warnings and adjust your activities, especially if you have health issues or if you’re older or if you’re a crazy runner like me,” Shull said. “The orange level shows there is a heightened risk and that we have pretty high confidence – at least in the short term – of this smoke continuing to be an issue.”

The Brunswick complex is being managed by an Incident Management Team based out of Boston Bar in the Coastal Fire Centre, outside of the jurisdiction of the Kamloops Fire Centre. There are 12 helicopters bucketing areas of heat and two night-vision-equipped helicopters working overnight.

There are also approximately 150 firefighters, 60 structure protection personnel, 21 pieces of heavy equipment and one incident management team working alongside the helicopters.

“Smoke doesn’t always have to originate from a nearby wildfire. It can travel over hundreds of kilometres,” BC Wildfire Service information officer Alexander Robinson said. “I think British Columbians are used to seeing smoke over the summer, but I think one thing not everybody knows is on the BC Wildfire application and on the desktop map, there’s actually a smoke filter.”

“Anybody can access that and click that filter and see where smoke is originating from, see where it’s travelling and where it’s forecast to travel to, which can be really helpful. We want to give people the information they need so they can make informed decisions.”

Outdoor events may be impacted

The City of Kamloops will review scheduled outdoor events on a day-to-day basis to determine if they should still proceed. There is no FIFA World Cup watch party scheduled Wednesday – and the tournament will end on July 19 – but there are nightly Music in the Park shows until the end of August.

This evening’s performance musical performance is going ahead as planned, but yesterday’s show was cancelled because of the weather. While the city aims to have a decision made by 4:00 p.m. each day, it notes last-minute cancellations may also occur if conditions worsen.

The Brock Outdoor Pool was also closed because of smoke Wednesday and it will be closed if the Air Quality Health Index (AQHI) is 10 or higher before the scheduled opening time. If the AQHI reaches 10 or higher at the 11:00 a.m. check, the pool will close for the rest of the afternoon.

“Conditions can change quickly as wildfire smoke moves through the region,” Dušan Magdolen, the city’s cultural services and events manager, said in a statement. “We encourage residents to stay informed through trusted sources, follow the advice of health authorities, and check the city’s communication channels for updates on municipal programs and services.”

Back at Riverside Park, Topping is longing for the return of sunshine and a blue sky, saying he hopes this bout of smoke is a minor inconvenience in what is an otherwise busy summer.

“We are quite used to it,” he added. “We are just rolling with the punches and we’ll see where it takes us. We’re hoping the smoke clears out and stays away so people can come and enjoy the park.”

“It’s so beautiful here,” added Murphy. “We’re worried where the fires are for the people that are in the fires. We would rather it not be this way, but it is, and we’re hoping for the best for everybody.”

by Victor Kaisar

Kamloops residents making the best of latest round of wildfire smoke

Orange air quality advisory issued

Outdoor events may be impacted

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