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Wildfire risk rises as parts of B.C. bake under heat and air-quality warnings

The British Columbia Wildfire Service says hot and dry weather across much of the province is raising the potential for fire activity.
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People cool off in Lynn Creek in North Vancouver, B.C., on Thursday, July 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

The British Columbia Wildfire Service says hot and dry weather across much of the province is raising the potential for fire activity.

The service's latest provincial situation report says the unseasonably hot weather is expected to continue through the week, with no rain in the forecast.

It says relative humidity is low, making forest fuels more susceptible to ignition.

The service adds that a "very slight risk" of lightning over the northern Cascades and Coast Mountains is expected to increase through the week.

The hot, sunny weather has prompted a smog warning for eastern Metro Vancouver, while an air-quality warning is also in effect for eastern parts of the Fraser Valley due to smoke from the Sailor Bar wildfire burning about seven kilometres north of Yale.

The 120-hectare blaze has prompted evacuation alerts for Yale and Spuzzum areas, including properties on both sides of the Fraser River.

The communities are located in the Fraser Canyon, where Environment Canada says temperatures are expected to reach 37 to 39 C this week.

The same heat warning covers the South Thompson region.

The weather office says the heat poses a "moderate" risk to public health, before cooler temperatures are expected by next weekend.

The forecast follows a hot weekend during which nearly two dozen areas set or tied daily maximum temperature records on Sunday.

They include Whistler, where the mercury hit 35.1 C, surpassing the record of 34.3 C set in 1988, and Kelowna, where the temperature of 36.2 C overtook the previous record of 35 C set in 1999. The temperature in Lytton meanwhile hit a national high of 40 C.

The Metro Vancouver district says the hot, sunny weather has combined with local emissions to produce smog, also known as ground-level ozone, prompting an air-quality warning for eastern parts of the region along with the Fraser Valley.

The district says smoke from the Sailor Bar wildfire has resulted in elevated levels of fine particulate matter in the air.

The fire discovered Saturday prompted the Fraser Valley Regional District to issue an evacuation alert stretching from Yale north to the Spuzzum area, with residents told to be ready to leave on short notice.

Spuzzum First Nation also issued an alert for properties on several reserves.

The blaze is one of six classified as burning out of control across B.C., among just under 70 active blazes.

The air-quality warnings were expected to last until at least Tuesday.

A heat warning is also in place for inland areas of the north and central coasts, where Environment Canada says the mercury is expected to hit 29 C in the Terrace and Kitimat areas over the next several days.

It says a cooling trend is expected later this week in those regions.

The weather office has encouraged people in areas covered by air-quality advisories to consider postponing or limiting outdoor activities.

It notes air pollution is more likely to affect infants and children, people aged 65 or older, those who are pregnant or have existing illnesses or chronic health conditions, and outdoor workers.

People should seek medical attention in the event of symptoms such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath, severe coughing and dizziness, it says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 25, 2025.

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press

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