'There'll be more smoke coming': Grande Prairie wildfire officer

Article content

Grande Prairie was covered with wildfire smoke on Friday, reducing visibility and making the air unhealthy to breathe.

The city’s air quality index was rated above 10, or “Very High Risk,” and Environment Canada advised people to consider reducing or avoiding strenuous activities outside.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

'There'll be more smoke coming': Grande Prairie wildfire officer Back to video

Computer modelling showed the smoke blowing in from various places — up from the U.S., down from the Yukon and across from the B.C. Cariboo region, said Kelly Burke, Wildfire Information Officer in the Grande Prairie.

“There’s a big fire burning there (the Cariboo region) now,” she said on Friday. “Most likely that’s where that smoke is coming from … but it shifts constantly. Everything’s on fire on the west side of the continent right now.”

Environment Canada warned people in the Grande Prairie area  to reduce or reschedule strenuous activities outdoors, “especially if you experience symptoms such as coughing and throat irritation.”

The warning especially applied to children and the elderly, as well as people with conditions such asthma, the advisory said.

Burke said an air mass over Grande Prairie was “keeping the smoke down” on Friday.

Authorities expected an approaching cold front to gradually drive away some of the smoke. However, Environment Canada noted that wildfire smoke levels can vary a lot hour-by-hour.

Burke suggested Grande Prairie residents should expect more.

“There’ll be more smoke coming until these fires are extinguished.”

Despite the heavy smoke and a distinct smell of burning wood, Burke said there isn’t currently a threat of fires spreading to the Grande Prairie area.

“We’re not at any risk in the Grande Prairie forest area of fires coming from B.C. at this time,” she said, adding that there was some risk of B.C. fires spreading into Alberta’s southern slopes.

A fire advisory was in place in the county on Friday but not in the city, probably because the county has a more flammable landscape with people active on their acreages, Burke said.

Dry air and extreme winds in recent weeks have added to the wildfire risk.

“At this moment the fine fuels, which would be twigs and grass and leaves, are very dry, but the larger fuels are probably still damp from the recent rain we’ve had,” Burke said.

She added that the risk is actually patchy across the Peace region — with some places warranting an “extreme” fire advisory and others a “low” one.