The Pear Lake wildfire, which spans nearly 1,500 square kilometres, is shown near the Pavilion Creek area, north of Lillooet, B.C., in this Sunday, Aug. 9, 2026, handout photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — B.C. Wildfire Service (Mandatory Credit)

By The Canadian Press

Province offers free N95 masks as wildfire smoke persists across B.C. Interior

Aug 16, 2026 | 3:00 AM

VANCOUVER — Wildfire smoke could be a blessing for evacuees still out of their homes in British Columbia, but it can be an unsettling sight for people who have returned home.

Erin Trainer, deputy mayor and councillor in Summerland, returned to her home in Trout Creek on Saturday morning and says most of the town is still under evacuation as the fire is still “very much active.”

Trainer says the town is still blanketed in smoke and she spent her Saturday cleaning up the ashes on her property.

The BC Wildfire Service says wildfire smoke is expected to gradually move back into central areas of the province over the weekend, which it notes could help moderate fire behaviour by reducing the amount of radiant heat reaching the landscape.

Many residents are allowed to return to their homes near Summerland and West Kelowna after evacuation orders related to the Bald Range and Quilpituk Creek wildfires were downgraded in recent days.

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The wildfire service says temperatures are expected to slightly rise across central and southern regions while northwest areas will see a slight dip in temperatures.

The province says N95 masks are now available for free in communities in the B.C. Interior to protect people from the impacts of wildfire smoke.

It says residents are encouraged to check with their local governments for more information on clean-air locations in their communities.

There are more than 120 fires burning in the province with 39 per cent of them classified as out of control.

Province offers free N95 masks as wildfire smoke persists across B.C. Interior

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