July 07, 2012 - 3:25 PM
KAMLOOPS, B.C. - A fire information officer says haze from wildfires in the United States has made its way north and is now hanging over communities in southern British Columbia.
The U.S. National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, has reported that dozens of fires were burning earlier this week in nine western states, destroying 600 homes and killing six people.
B.C. fire information officer Fionna Tollovsen says the province's Wildfire Management Branch has been receiving reports of haze from Kamloops, Merritt, Lillooet, Vancouver Island and even the Cariboo region.
She says a plane flew over areas between Williams Lake, Gold Bridge and Lillooet last night to ensure no wildfires were burning.
Tollovsen says officials then looked at satellite imagery and confirmed the source of the smoke.
Provincial air-quality meteorologist Ralph Adams says smoke has been building up around Kamloops and concentrations will vary depending on winds and temperatures. (CHNL/CFJC)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2012