Air Quality Plummets in Vancouver as Smoke From US Wildfires Drifts North

Wildfire smoke drifting north into Canada from California, Oregon, and Washington prompted warnings in Vancouver about the poor air quality in the south coast of British Columbia (BC) on Saturday, September 12.

Metro Vancouver on Friday warned residents that “a dense layer of smoke over the Pacific may move north and cover our entire region by tomorrow.” People were told to prepare for “possible darkened and orange skies.”

The BC government’s Air Quality Health Index said Saturday that the air in Metro Vancouver, Central Fraser Valley, and in areas of Vancouver Island, including Victoria, presented a “very high risk” to people’s health.

This footage, shared by Vincent Gasparro, was taken on a train between Vancouver and Victoria Saturday morning and shows the hazy air. “This video provides a stark reminder that climate change does not respect international borders,” he wrote on Twitter. Credit: @vgasparro via Storyful