VANCOUVER — The Metro Vancouver Regional District has issued an air-quality warning for the Lower Mainland as a dense shroud of wildfire smoke descends over large parts of British Columbia.
Environment Canada has expanded air-quality advisories to more than 30 locations including the Vancouver area and Fraser Valley, as well as most of the B.C. Interior and the northeast.
Metro Vancouver says the heavy haze is expected to last a few days or until weather conditions change, and people are advised to avoid or limit outdoor activity due to elevated levels of fine particles in the air.
It says the smoke is related to a high humidity and a stretch of elevated temperatures, that saw Lytton in the Fraser Canyon tie the record for the hottest temperature ever recorded in Canada in the month of September.
Lytton’s temperature of 40 C on Tuesday also broke a daily record for the village of 39.6 C set in 2022, while 11 other B.C. communities including Cache Creek, Kelowna, Princeton and Whistler also saw local records fall.
Heat warnings are in place for nine areas of the province including inland portions of the north and central coast, the North and South Thompson, the Fraser Canyon and Boundary regions.
Environment Canada says temperatures in the southern Interior are due to a ridge of high pressure “anchored” over the region, creating a “moderate risk” to public health.
The heat warnings are expected to end by Thursday for the southern Interior and Friday for inland parts of the north and central coast.
The smoke related to the air advisories is expected to persist until Friday in most places.
Metro Vancouver says fires contributing to the smoke include blazes just east of Hope, near Whistler, and the Cariboo area, as well as fires in the United States.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2025.
Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press
