PEIEnvironment Canada has now lifted an air quality statement it issued early Monday for western P.E.I., which had been experiencing smoke in the air from a wildfire in Nova Scotia.Province’s forests are so dry that officials are extending fire ban until at least Sept. 8P.E.I. extends fire ban, Summerside closes park as light rain fails to douse wildfire threatPrince Edward Island has gotten a touch of rain but not enough to dampen concerns about the potential for wildfires breaking out. The province is extending it fire ban until at least September and the City of Summerside is also taking further precautions. CBC’s Sheehan Desjardins has more. With little rain in the forecast, the province of Prince Edward Island has extended its fire ban, prohibiting all fires including campfires until at least Sept. 8.”We need rain, same as our Atlantic counterparts,” said Nick Thompson, a provincial wildland fire supervisor. “It’s really dry in Atlantic Canada right now, but here in P.E.I. we’re seeing fire risks that we don’t normally see this time of year.”Types of fire banned include campfires, bonfires, fires on private property, and fires at provincial parks and campgrounds. All permits are now revoked for industrial and agricultural burns as well.Parks Canada has also banned fires at the land under its control at Prince Edward Island National Park sites along the North Shore. Thompson said the kind of extreme fire risk present on P.E.I. over the weekend is not typical for this time of year and it will take some extended periods of rain to make an impact.Light rain fell over most of the Island Monday afternoon and evening, but would do little to lower the risk level, he predicted.The Rotary Friendship Park in Summerside, shown in a file photo, has been temporarily closed after a fire broke out in the park on Sunday. (Brian Higgins/CBC)”To get a little bit less fire danger risk, I think we need some extended periods of rain,” Thompson said. “I’d like to see somewhere in the area of 100 to 150 mm over several days to really make a significant impact in our fire danger risk.”Summerside concerned after weekend fireThe City of Summerside is worried as well, deciding to temporarily bar members of the public from its Rotary Friendship Park after a fire broke out in the wooded park on the weekend.Tanner Doiron, acting director of communications for the City of Summerside, says the temporary closure of the Rotary Friendship Park will run on the honour system. (Zoom)”We did have a call come through dispatch on Sunday to have our engines respond to a fire within the park, so that obviously raised some concerns for us,” said Tanner Doiron, the city’s acting director of communications.Summerside had been taking wildfire prevention measures and conducting exercises within the park in the weeks leading up to the closure, he said.”So when we actually got dispatched to a fire in real time, it definitely made us kind of, you know, think that this might be potentially something we might want to do.” We’re not looking to get into fines and whatnot, [but] we do have bylaw enforcement that will be frequently checking in the park.— Tanner DoironDoiron said right now, people are being asked to stay out of the park on the honour system. If they don’t and the dry conditions worsen, he said people found in the park may face fines.”We’re not looking to get into fines and whatnot, [but] we do have bylaw enforcement that will be frequently checking in the park as well. So we have lots of departments involved with this one,” he said.Doiron said the cause of the weekend fire is still not known, but in the past, fires have been caused by homeless encampments in the park. Now the city has a full-service shelter to remove some of the need for people without adequate housing to camp out. An air quality alert was issued for Prince County early Monday due to smoke from a wildfire in Annapolis County, N.S. (Environment Canada)Air quality statement for western P.E.I. liftedMeanwhile, Environment Canada has lifted an air quality statement it issued early Monday for western P.E.I., which had been experiencing smoke in the air from a wildfire in Nova Scotia.”Smoke is no longer expected or has moved out of the area,” the agency said in a message at 3:32 p.m. AT. In the statement issued earlier Monday, the weather agency said smoke from a fire near Long Lake in Annapolis County, N.S., was causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility in some areas of Prince County. “All that smoke is being carried over and really settling in and making it really hard to breathe,” said CBC meteorologist Tina Simpkin. A helicopter drops water onto the Long Lake wildfire in Annapolis County, N.S. (Province of Nova Scotia)Environment Canada said local smoke concentrations would vary depending on changes to wind speed or direction.People aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition, and people who work outdoors were told to “avoid strenuous activities outdoors and seek medical attention if experiencing symptoms,” the statement said. For those without pre-existing conditions, reduced air quality can cause mild eye, nose and throat irritation, while more serious but less common symptoms include chest pains and a severe cough, according to the agency.Rain could helpSimpkin said the rain in the forecast could be helpful in terms of improving air quality — but only if there’s a lot of it. “It does tend to grab onto those smoke particles and bring them down and settle them out of the air,” she said. “But it also enables some of the smoke molecules that are in the upper levels of the atmosphere to come back down again, too. So unless we get a good soaking, rain shower activity doesn’t do a whole lot to help out in the air quality.”The good news, said Simpkin, is that there is 10 to 30 mm of rain in the forecast Monday night for Nova Scotia. “Hopefully that will alleviate some of the smoke, at least, coming from the wildfire,” she said. In the meantime, people in western P.E.I. were being reminded that as smoke levels increase, so do health risks. Environment Canada recommended taking the following precautions: Limit time outdoors. Consider reducing or rescheduling outdoor sports, activities and events. When indoors, keep windows and doors closed as much as possible. Protect your indoor air from wildfire smoke. Actions can include using a clean, good quality air filter in your ventilation system and/or a certified portable air cleaner that can filter fine particles. When outdoors, wear a well-constructed, well-fitting and properly worn respirator type mask (such as a N95 or equivalent respirator). Check in on others who are in your care or live nearby who may be more likely to be impacted by outdoor air pollution. ABOUT THE AUTHORRyan McKellop is a graduate of the Holland College Journalism program and a web writer at CBC P.E.I.With files from Island Morning and Sheehan Desjardins
P.E.I.’s fire ban extended for 2 more weeks as rain fails to dampen risk
