Haze descends on Vancouver Island again Wednesday (Aug. 23) as fires spew smoke across the province.
While Environment Canada forecasts low-risk air quality values for the region it does edge toward moderate risk by Thursday night in Greater Victoria.
The rising air quality concerns coincide with the online smoke forecast at firesmoke.ca that shows haze Wednesday, increasing in intensity through Thursday evening.
READ ALSO: Firefighters face ‘wall of flame’ in late-night West Shore wildfire
Since April 1, 1,866 wildfires have burned about 1.73 million hectares of land in B.C.
As of the morning of Aug. 23, BC Wildfire Service reported 377 active fires – 47 of them in the Coastal Fire Region that includes Vancouver Island – with five new ones in the preceding 24 hours.
Of the 377, 14 are deemed ‘of note’ – meaning highly visible or pose a potential threat to public safety – and 154 are deemed as out of control, which means continuing to grow or not responding to suppression efforts.
READ ALSO: No changes to Kelowna wildfire overnight despite rain and lightning in the area