British Columbia offers free N95 masks amid persistent wildfire smoke

British Columbia is providing free N95 masks to residents in the B.C. Interior to mitigate the health impacts of persistent wildfire smoke. The province currently has more than 120 active fires, with 39 per cent classified as out of control.

In the Village of Clinton and surrounding areas, evacuation orders have been downgraded to alerts, allowing residents to return to their homes. While fire crews and the BC Wildfire Service successfully protected much of the Village of Clinton from direct damage, residents in the Thompson Nicola Regional District face different landscape changes.

In other regions, such as Summerland and West Kelowna, evacuation orders related to the Bald Range and Quilpituk Creek wildfires were recently downgraded. However, some areas like Trout Creek remain under evacuation as fires stay active. The BC Wildfire Service noted that returning smoke may help moderate fire behavior by reducing radiant heat reaching the landscape.