An air quality warning is in effect on B.C.’s Lower Mainland Tuesday due to wildfire smoke from blazes burning in the province and south of the border. Environment and Climate Change Canada issued yellow warnings for the central and eastern parts of Fraser Valley which include Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, Agassiz, and Hope. “Smoke levels can change quickly with weather and fire behaviour,” the agency’s warning said, adding that smoky conditions are a result of wildfires burning east of the Fraser Valley as well as in Washington state and Oregon. A yellow warning means a “high health risk” and people in the region are urged to limit outdoor activity, where possible, especially if they are more vulnerable to negative health effects. At-risk populations include pregnant people, infants, the elderly, and people with chronic cardiovascular conditions. Medical masks are one way to mitigate the impact when outdoors, according to the warning, which also said people should spend as much time as they can in cool, well-ventilated indoor spaces with the windows and doors closed.
