A thin haze of wildfire smoke has prompted another special air quality statement for the Kamloops area.
The new advisory for smoky skies covers the South Thompson, as well as the Shuswap and the Okanagan. Environment Canada says wildfire smoke will linger for the next 24 to 48 hours, suggesting the smoke is coming from the eastern flank of the White Rock Lake wildfire.
The advisory also says any controlled burns at the White Rock Lake fire will impact amounts of local smoke. The BC Wildfire Service says it plans to do a 450-hectare controlled burn within the fire’s boundary this afternoon, northwest of Fintry, to burn off potential fuels.
Yesterday, the BC Wildfire Service did a 350-hectare controlled burn northwest of the Okanagan Indian Band. It says that burn was “relatively low intensity along the understory, with very little tree mortality.” That activity led to heavy local smoke in Falkland and other areas east of Kamloops.
Despite the new air quality statement, the air quality health index in Kamloops as of noon today is at a two – or low risk – and it expected to stay low risk this afternoon and overnight tonight. Further east, the AQHI is at a 10-plus for Vernon, and expected to be at 10-plus today and tomorrow, while the Central Okanagan is at a six – or medium risk – which is expected to last into tomorrow as well.
Kamloops had been under a special air quality statement every day between July 1 and August 22, when that advisory was lifted, before it was brought back in today.