Smoke from a wildfire west of Hope, B.C. is shown over Highway 1 in a Sept.11, 2022 handout photo. Air quality improved slightly over Metro Vancouver but remains at very unhealthy levels in several other regions as wildfire smoke blankets large sections of British Columbia. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-BC Wildfire Service **MANDATORY CREDIT**
Republished September 12, 2022 - 4:32 PM
Original Publication Date September 12, 2022 - 8:06 AM
An aggressive and out-out-control wildfire is burning just eight kilometres outside the community of Hudson's Hope, while the BC Wildfire Service says crews work hard to build a control line between the blaze and the community.
More than 1,000 people are on evacuation order in the province, many of whom were forced out by the fire bearing down on Hudson's Hope.
The 287-square-kilometre fire is also just four kilometres away from the W.A.C. Bennett Dam on the Peace River, a key power generator for the Crown utility BC Hydro.
Fires west and east of Hope have also prompted evacuation orders and alerts, as well as the closure of the eastbound lanes of Highway 1.
The BC Wildfire Service says it expects increased fire behaviour this week as sun and warm temperatures continue.
Metro Vancouver's regional district continued its air quality advisory Monday as smoke from wildfires in B.C. and Washington state blankets the Lower Mainland.
The regional district says air quality in some areas of the Lower Mainland are expected to degrade further as other areas improve, while a clearing trend is expected to start near the coast and move inland by Tuesday.
"Smoke concentrations may vary widely across the region as winds and temperatures change, and as wildfire behaviour changes," Metro Vancouver says in a statement.
Environment Canada is maintaining air quality statements for areas from the Peace River in the northeast to the Cariboo in central B.C., and the entire lower third of the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2022.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2022