We are quite safe here and theres no fires in our immediate area, the closest are about 45 minutes away and being controlled, but the air pollution has been the highest ever over the last 48 hours, over 200 at the moment.
Yesterday visibility in town was about two blocks, today its slightly better. We usually have views for miles out to the mountains from our house but I can see about 100 meters the last two days. This is what it looks like outside. I really do miss seeing the blue sky!
Our house smells like smoke, all I can taste is smoke and our clothes smell of smoke. Usually the first thing I do each morning is throw open all the windows and let the fresh air in but we haven't been able to do this the last six weeks. Its also been really hot here (38C yesterday) and we can't sleep with the windows open to cool the house down. There is no going outside at all except to get in the car and go to work.
We all have the 'fires near me' alerts on our phones and the air quality app and I check both frequently during the day.
I have been taking extra ventolin over the last few weeks, but today I had to leave work and go straight to the drs as I just could not get a proper breath in after having to walk outside from the carpark ( less than five minutes). The smoke was quite heavy.
So the doctor has put me back on asthma meds (haven't needed them for years) and I'm off work for several days. A few hours later DD also ended up at the drs, she has quite bad asthma and had missed two days last week. She got quite tight in the chest at work and went straight down to the doctor. She had her meds increased and is off work also. I did some research online and bought an air cleaner with a HEPA filter to try and filter the smoke in the house ($200).
There would be hundreds of people being similarly affected I'm sure, particularly worrying for the elderly.
It's been an eye opener this last few weeks. And I'm one of the lucky ones! We are not under direct fire threat, we haven't had to evacuate, or lose our home. I have sick leave and medications are subsidised here. I hate to think how the people in high fire danger areas are coping and the stress they must be under. And our firefighters (many volunteers) are exhausted after six weeks of this and we haven't even started the hottest part of summer yet. We've had firefighters from US and Canada arrive this week for which we are grateful. And our government is just pathetic in dealing with this, having cut funding to the fire service and refusing to use defence forces or declare and emergency!
So at the moment I am just resting at home, taking meds, keeping an eye on DD and feeling grateful I don't live closer the the fires. Its a summer like we have never seen before!
A lot of the smoke we are getting is coming from this 'megafire':
6 comments:
I am so sorry, we live in the fire/smoke during the summer months. It lasts about 3 months. Sometimes we can hardly see across the street.
I really hope you get some relief soon - we see the fires on the news and it's heartbreaking. The past couple of years BC and Alberta have both had really bad fire seasons and it is shocking how fire can damage so much so fast. Glad to hear we sent some firefighters, unfortunately they've had a lot of practice
Fires seem to be worse in so many places now. Its just so strange not be able to go outside in summer.
its truly become a shared international problem the last few years I think, and yes, so much old growth areas being damaged by fires unfortunately with a terrible impact on wildlife.
Wow, those fires are intense! Glad you are in a safe zone from the fires. Sorry you have to deal with the smoke.
thanks Lisa, , this is new for us. We expect a few fires in January but nothing like this.
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