Smoke in Area

Another message from Loree Duzcek, RDEK

Good afternoon everyone,

Just a quick update on the smoke in the air around the region.  To make a long story short: we are surrounded! 

The smoke across the East Kootenay is from a variety of fires. In the Columbia Valley, some of the smoke is from Alberta, some from fires in the Kamloops Fire Centre region.  In the rest of the region, the smoke is primarily coming from the Apex Mountain fire west of Penticton.  The smoke is expected to blow out of much of the region in the next couple of days; however, there are several large fires in Eastern Washington and the smoke from those fires will arrive in the coming days. So, we will likely have smoky conditions for the foreseeable future.

There are a few very small fires being actioned in the East Kootenay; however, so far there are no large fires. 

and from the City of Cranbrook:

Cranbrook Fire & Emergency Services ask that if you see smoke or fire, please do not assume others have reported it. 

Call the Southeast Fire Centre toll free at 1-800-663-5555 or call *5555 on most cellular networks.

For current fire danger ratings, maps and news on active fires in the Southeast Fire Centre please visit www.bcwildfire.ca.