British Columbia residents are flocking to beaches and water parks as temperatures across the province continue to soar well above seasonal, even reaching record levels in some communities.
Environment Canada said Sunday night that records were broken in Lytton, Pemberton, Lillooet and Kamloops, where the average temperature in each community reached approximately 40.5 C.
According to Environment Canada meteorologist David Wray, temperatures in the southern part of the province are about 10 to 11 C above normal for this time of year, while temperatures in northern B.C. are about 8 to 10 C above normal.
But by the end of the week, temperatures across the province are forecast to drop. In Vancouver, the mercury is expected to reach a high of 25 C by Wednesday.
Vancouver Coastal Health is urging B.C. residents to limit the time they spend doing outdoor activities to the early morning and evening. It is also encouraging residents to check in on family members, friends and neighbours who are not able to easily leave their homes, to see if they require any medical attention.
Police are also warning pet owners to make sure they don't leave their pets inside hot vehicles.
Vancouver police Const. Brian Montague told reporters that police won't hesitate to break car windows in order to rescue trapped pets.
Meanwhile, there is a growing concern over the risk of wildfires in the province. The hot, dry weather conditions are not helping firefighters as they battle about 45 forest fires across the province.
In the northern part of the province, near the Alberta border, firefighters are battling a massive fire close to Tumbler Ridge that's about 45-square-kilometres in size.
With files from CTV Vancouver and The Canadian Press
