Thick smoke covered most of western Canada for portions of the last week, including Flin Flon.
Air advisories were called for almost all areas within BC, Alberta and Saskatchewan, and portions of Manitoba throughout the week.
Advisories for Flin Flon, Cranberry Portage, Snow Lake, Herb Lake Landing and Grass River Provincial Park were issued on Aug. 15 and 17.
The advisories warned that people may experience coughing, headaches, throat irritation and shortness of breath during smoky conditions, adding children, seniors and people with respiratory illnesses may be at risk.
“Smoke from forest fires over western Canada is once again being spread across the prairies. The haze and smoke will spread into western Manitoba through the evening, resulting in elevated AQHI (Air Quality Health Index) values,” read one advisory.
Fires in the Pacific Northwest, including the interior of BC and Washington state, are the cause of the smoke.
Data from Natural Resources Canada show BC to be Canada’s most active province for forest fire activity, with more than 400 wildfires burning as of Aug. 20.
More than 600,000 hectares of land – which is the size of more than 840,000 soccer fields, or over 600 times larger than the area of Flin Flon within city limits – has burned in BC so far this summer.
According to forecasts from Firesmoke.ca, a website that uses fire data from multiple provinces and the federal natural resources department, smoke from the fires may come into northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan on Aug. 22. The smoke could potentially come into Flin Flon from the northwest.
The current fire situation in Saskatchewan is quiet. On Aug. 20, eight fires were burning in the province. One was considered to be not contained.
In Manitoba, eight fires are burning as of Aug. 20 with three burning in the north. None of the fires are located near populated areas.
