B.C. premier, forests minister tour wildfire-affected regions – Record 10,600 square kilometres burned so far in 2017

KAMLOOPS, B.C., 28 August 2017 (The Canadian Press) – British Columbia’s premier spent Monday touring some communities affected by this year’s unprecedented wildfire season, promising financial assistance but cautioning it will take more than cheques to help with the recovery. John Horgan said it will take years for ranchers, tourism operators and communities to recover […]

The EPA under siege: Trump’s assault in history and testimony

June 2017 (EDGI) – The Trump administration currently poses the greatest threat to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in its entire 47-year history. Twice before, presidential administrations in North America have targeted their own environmental agencies with comparable aggression, in the early Reagan administration (1981-1983) and under Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (2006-2015). Trump’s […]

Fighting to breathe in the face of Canada’s wildfire emergency

By Mika McKinnon 11 August 2017 KAMLOOPS, British Columbia (New Scientist) – It’s stiflingly hot and I’m trapped inside a dome of smoke. I know I’m in a river valley nestled within mountain ranges, but the visibility is cut so low that I can’t see any of the dramatic peaks that dominate landscapes across British […]

19 wildfires have merged to create the largest wildfire ever recorded in British Columbia – Single blaze is estimated to be more than 467,000 hectares

By Mike Laanela and Brady Strachan Aug 22, 2017 (CBC News) – Hundreds of firefighters and dozens of aircraft are working to contain the largest wildfire ever recorded in British Columbia’s history. Nineteen wildfires have merged in the province’s Interior, creating a single blaze that’s estimated to be more than 467,000 hectares [1.15 million acres] […]

Record breaking aerosol index values from Canada forest fires – “These are remarkably high values”

By Colin Seftor 15 August 2017 (NASA) – I plan to post more about smoke from the fires burning both in Canada and Russia. But I did want to post this particular item. Over the last couple of days, OMPS has recorded the largest aerosol index values ever seen since TOMS measurements started in 1978 […]

Long wildfire season in British Columbia exhausting for firefighters, emergency personnel

By Greg Fry 19 August 2017 Williams Lake, B.C. (250 News) – This summer has been the worst wildfire season on record in British Columbia and as a result those fighting the blazes and others working in emergency management have been working harder than ever. However, Chris Duffy, executive director of operations with Emergency Management […]

British Columbia wildfires now worst on record

VANCOUVER, 19 August 2017 (Xinhua) – The Canadian province of British Columbia has extended its state of emergency to Sept. 1 as its residents and fire crews continue to deal with what has become the worst wildfire season on record. The province-wide state of emergency means that those fighting the fires and dealing with the […]

Record-breaking smoke over Canada from British Columbia forest fires – “If and when the plume drifts over populated areas, it may turn day into night”

By Adam Voiland 15 August 2017 (NASA) – For more than a month, dozens of large fires have raged in British Columbia. Since early July 2017, wildfire has burned through coniferous forests stressed by heat, drought, and infestations of mountain pine beetles. In early August, another cluster of intense fires flared up in Northwest Territories […]

Canada wildfires “apocalyptic” – “In my experience and that of the pilots here, we’ve never seen anything like this”

By Adriana  Weber 9 August 2017 (Radio NZ) – A New Zealand helicopter pilot fighting enormous wildfires in Canada says everyone works in an ”apocalyptic twilight” amid the worst conditions he has experienced in 25 years. More than 200 wildfires are burning across the country, with the majority of those ablaze in British Columbia, which […]

We’re choking on smoke in Seattle

By Lindy West 9 August 2017 SEATTLE (The New York Times) – The weather forecast for Seattle on Wednesday reads “89 degrees, smoke.” We first noticed the smoke, drifting down from wildfires still burning in British Columbia, around Aug. 2, just as a heat wave sent temperatures spiking well into the 90s (the historical average […]

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