Air conditioners and fans across British Columbia continued to work overtime as the majority of the province sought relief from a record-breaking heat wave.
Environment Canada said Lillooet was the hotspot Wednesday at 39.9 degrees. Seven all-time highs were set in B.C. that day -- and the trend continued Thursday.
The fire department, fearing the heat would spark a blaze in Vancouver's Stanley Park, upped the forest fire warning for the area to high.
Officials said dead wood and debris left from last winter's wind storms combined with the dry heat could be the perfect recipe for a blaze.
And the authorities have reason for alarm. In the northeastern part of the province a huge fire, burning at a grain terminal in the heart of Dawson Creek, is threatening other businesses.
Firefighters tried Thursday to keep flames from spreading to adjacent buildings, and worried explosions could be caused by grain dust in the terminal.
A huge plume of black smoke was visible over the city, and firefighters shut off hydro to the downtown core.
Back in downtown Vancouver, workers had to turn down the AC and bear the sweltering 27 degrees with 50 per cent humidity.
One of BC Hydro's two downtown transformers is broken -- so officials asked businesses to conserve power at an inopportune time.
With temperatures this high ... we could put an increased load on the (broken) transformer," said Gillian Robinson, a representative for BC Hydro.
"We don't want to stress it out -- we don't want to cause it any sort of strain."
Residents in the Lower Mainland took shelter and tried to get their hands on anything cold as the mercury rose, shattering records held for decades.
Temperatures in the region over the last few days hovered in the upper 30s, including:
- Abbotsford, 37.9 C;
- Chilliwack, 38.8 C;
- White Rock, 36.2 C;
- Squamish, 37.6 C;
- Victoria, 36.3 C.
Hot air from the B.C. Interior was blamed for raising a sweat across the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island -- but enough stuck around cook the south-central region of the province as well.
People lounging by Lake Okanagan were were hard pressed to resist a dip as the temperature hit 37 degrees.
In the Fraser Valley, Trevor Meyers was having trouble keeping up with the demand for ice.
"(I've sold) a whole truckload ... over 1,500 bags of ice," Meyers said.
Residents in the Lower Mainland can look forward to a bit of relief -- officials said conditions on the south coast should cool slightly Friday, as ocean breezes push the Interior winds back where they came from.
However, they predict communities in Whistler right east to Creston, and up to Fort St. John will continue to swelter for several more days.
