Vancouver Rundown Friday September 15, 2023

Summary

There’s still forest fire activity but not nearly enough to keep B.C.’s ‘provincial state of emergency’ going. Emergency Management Minister Bowen Ma says cooler temperatures and firefighting efforts have combined to help many British Columbians return to homes in previous evacuation areas. Close to 400 fires continue to burn across B.C. with 18-thousand properties on evacuation alert but only 370 on evacuation order.

Meanwhile, many of us can still smell smoke in the Lower Mainland. A few of us are still coughing or clearing our throats. Winds have changed and pushed smoke from the northwest, including Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast, into Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. Officially, it’s not having much impact on air quality readings.