The City of Revelstoke provided the community with a situational Emergency Program update following wildfire evacuations across the province.
“Revelstoke is monitoring the situation currently and will continue to monitor for changing conditions,” said the City of Revelstoke.
The City offered a number of tips for residents in light of the increased smoke and falling ash from fires burning to the northwest in the Kamloops Fire Centre.
- Stay indoors: Reduce time spent outdoors to protect your health.
- Reduce outdoor physical activity: Refer to the Air Quality Health Index and decrease physical exertion outdoors in when air quality is poor
- Consider wearing a well-fitted respirator if you cannot access cleaner air: Use a well-fitted respirator (e.g., N95, KN95) properly to reduce exposure to particulate matter in smoke.
- Activate medical management action plans: Ensure that your plan to self-manage any chronic diseases (e.g., respiratory and cardiovascular diseases) are in place and up to date, and that adequate rescue medications are available.
- Use a home clean air shelter: Spend time in a room in your home with a portable air cleaner with HEPA filtration to reduce smoke exposure.
As the City of Revelstoke stated in the Emergency Program Update, there are currently no wildfires threatening Revelstoke. There are, however, fires burning near Revelstoke to take note of.
The Hiren Creek Wildfire has been burning near Revelstoke since July 21 in a remote area near the Jordan River, approximately 19 km northwest of Revelstoke.
The fire has grown to 1,240 hectares in steep, inaccessible terrain west of the river that crews cannot safely access.
According to the BC Wildfire Service, the fire is not threatening structures, communities, or other values at this time. They added that the fire is expected to grow as temperatures rise and winds increase, and that the fire’s growth has been minimized as it heads back down-slope.
“People in the area will likely notice more intense fire behaviour, including increases in smoke, in the coming weeks,” said the BC Wildfire Service.
To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555.
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josh.piercey@revelstokereview.com
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