A smoky haze fills the North Thompson valley Monday morning.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
July 14, 2014 - 11:01 AM
KAMLOOPS - It could just be a haze in the sky today but it is more likely smoke from more northern fires we are continuing to see fill our valley.
B.C. Wildfire information officer Melissa Klassen says the smoke in the air could be attributed to the more than 15,000 hectares of fires north of us in the Prince George Fire Centre.
“With the hot temperatures everything just remains stagnant,” Klassen notes. “There’s not really been any windy conditions to move it out of the valley.”
A 50 ha fire northeast of Clearwater near Blue River is one of several fires in that region right now but Klassen says they are not likely contributing much to all the haze in town.
“There are a couple larger fires in the Clearwater zone, but nothing really in close proximity,” she says, adding lightning and heat forecast over the next few days could change that quickly. “We could start to see that activity down here soon. It usually starts in the north and comes down.”
Kamloops currently has a moderate air quality rating of four and that is not expected to change over the next couple of days.
Temperatures are expected to reach the mid-30s again today followed by 39 Celsius Tuesday and Wednesday. Combined with lightning activity we could easily see more fire starts this week.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Jennifer Stahn at jstahn@infonews.ca or call 250-819-3723. To contact an editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014