Smoky Days and Smoky Nights

 red areas have had no appreciable precipitation

We are on fire here in central British Columbia, not figuratively, but literally - 80 active forest fires of 10 hectares (about 25 acres) or more, burning in the district where I live and the two that border it. There are evacuation alerts and orders in many communities, and the whole central interior is blanketed in heavy smoke.

Our precipitation this summer has been next to nothing which has contributed much to the situation; plus, summer is thunderstorm season, which means many lightening strikes.The weather forecast is for continued heat, no rain, and now gusting winds. The whole province, including the central interior, is on high alert.

The situation is serious and taken very seriously. The penalties for starting a forest fire are 3 years in prison and a one million dollar fine.

Not only trees are at stake here - lives, homes, whole communities, livelihoods are in danger. There are currently several evacuation alerts/orders in place.

The dramatic photo is of a 2003 fire in Kelowna BC that burned about 200 homes.

That city faced another bad, if not as bad, fire in 2009 which burned about 20 homes.

Forest fires seem worse in the last few years. The weather has been warmer at times and drier. We also have millions of acres of trees killed by the mountain pine beetle, which leaves the trees tinder dry and, at one stage, with a turpentine-like substance in them.

I have never, until now, been at all afraid of the annual forest fires. And I am not afraid, moment to moment, now. But with the smoke so heavy in the air as a constant reminder, and the situation as bad as it is across the province, I have, for the first time, an evacuation plan written down - in part this is because I'm sure I would immediately go blank if the situation arose. It's not fancy, just a bare bones list of what to take and in what order.

For now, it is extremely unpleasant outdoors. The Air Quality Health Index for today is 10 (highest and most dangerous); some communities are at 10+. 

It's a good day to get to all those chores in the house that I have been avoiding. What a waste of a summer day, although I am thankful that we aren't facing evacuation or worse.