People in the Interior awoke to smoky skies again Tuesday morning.
(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)
August 12, 2014 - 12:40 PM
THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - After more than a week under a smoky sky advisory, the smoke has finally cleared.
There have been more than 1,100 wildfires this year and more than 252,000 hectares have burned. Six of those fires have been more than 10,000 ha in size with the largest reaching more than 88,000 ha.
Smoke from those fires as well as some large ones in Washington has been filtering through the region for nearly a month. In mid-July a nearly week-long advisory was in place as thick smoke sat above Kamloops and Vernon and another was issued last week as more smoke filtered into the entire region.
The smoky skies advisory for much of the Southern Interior was issued Aug. 6 and remained in place for more than a week as air quality readings continue to sit in the moderate range. Rain this week has helped to help reduce the smoke in the air and the advisory was lifted Wednesday afternoon.
Campfire bans remain in place for much of the province. The fire danger rating continues to reach the extreme risk level in parts of the province though the rain in the Kamloops Fire Centre has reduced the risk to low to moderate range.
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.
— This story was updated at 4:13 p.m., Aug. 13 when the advisory was lifted.
News from © iNFOnews, 2014