CanadaHere comes the smoke: Health officials tell B.C. to prepare for new ‘5th season’

© THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck The sun is obscured by smoke from wildfires in the distance behind burnt trees in Williams Lake, B.C., on Sunday, July 30, 2017.

Move over autumnal equinox, there's a new season in town.

That's the somewhat cheeky message from the BC Centre for Disease Control, which is advising British Columbians to be ready to protect themselves from the potential harmful effects of worsening air quality as wildfires begin to flare up once again.

The agency has created a new hub with health information for residents, with fact sheets on health concerns, air cleaners and tips on how to prepare for the anticipated smoke.

‘Bull’: Steven Spielberg & Amblin TV Pull Out Of CBS Drama Over Michael Weatherly Harassment Controversy

EXCLUSIVE: Steven Spielberg’ Amblin Television is walking away from CBS’ popular legal drama Bull in the wake of the sexual harassment allegations against star Michael Weatherly. “Steven Spielberg, Amblin Television, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey are no longer attached to Bull,” a rep for the company said in a statement from Deadline, declining further comment. Spielberg and Amblin TV co-heads Frank and Falvey served as executive producers on Bull for its first three seasons. The procedural drama was just renewed by CBS for a fourth season.

READ MORE: Here comes the smoke : Health officials tell B . C . to prepare for new ‘ 5 th season ’. WATCH: (Aired March 6, 2019) Forest fires cause poor air quality in Prince The centre is also holding a workshop in Prince George on Tuesday to help residents prepare for the smoky season .

READ MORE: Here comes the smoke : Health officials tell B . C . to prepare for new ‘ 5 th season ’. The BC Wildfire Service says the province had seen 433 fires burning just over 11,000 hectares as of June 30.

"And with the month of May now in full swing, fires are already burning in parts of the province."

Sarah Henderson, a senior environmental health scientist at the BCCDC, says with annual smokey summers becoming a reality, British Columbians will need to be prepared to protect their health.

"Every single year we do have to expect smoke, and in some years that smoke is going to be severe and the way it has been in 2017 and 2018," she said.

"Previously we'd have these very mild summers with very little smoke and I'm not sure that we'll go back to those times."

The sun rise took place in Prince George an hour ago and it is still pitch black because of the smoke. #BCWildfire pic.twitter.com/uz76rfKroR

— Richard Zussman (@richardzussman) August 17, 2018

‘Game of Thrones’ Just Rained Fire on One Mom and Her Girl, Named After ‘Khaleesi’

Jasmine Estrada thought nothing could make her second-guess naming her daughter after Daenerys Targaryen, aka “Khaleesi,” one of the main characters in the mega-hit HBO show Game of Thrones. Then she saw Sunday’s episode. “Oh my god,” Estrada said. “She lost her marbles.” The series’ penultimate episode featured Daenerys going from a justice-seeking yet flawed queen to a genocidal madwoman who burned down a city with innocent women and children trapped inside. Estrada’s 6-year-old daughter is called “Khalessi”—an idea from Estrada’s mother, who mispronounced the name, leading to the misspelling.

3 Despite his health problems, Joe his ambition to play in the local football team. 3 Kate was supposed to the training of the new staff. 4 The company is _____ by two people who Examination Practice. A R ead th e tex t b e lo w and d e c id e w h ich an sw er A, B , C o r D b est fits each space.

My big break came when I was 18 Leicester City FC ‘offered me a place in ther squad. it was there that leamed the true value of teamwork. | played with a fantastic group ‘of guys For gaps I-7, choose A, B , C or D to complete each gap correctly. Circle the answer you choose. A cut above ip onto the stage!

British Columbia has had three record-breaking wildfire seasons in the last four years.

Last year, the fires led to a never-before-seen 22-day air quality advisory in Metro Vancouver, and saw three B.C. communities in the top 15 worldwide for poor air quality.

During a stretch last summer, smoke was so thick in Prince George that skies were darkened in the middle of the day.

Henderson said researchers are only beginning to study the long-term health impact of exposure to wildfire smoke, but that health officials believe the risks are real.

In particular, she said people with chronic conditions — especially heart and lung diseases — should limit exposure.

Seniors, pregnant women, infants and children are also at risk, she said.

"We do believe that those exposures may have impacts on foetuses in utero, and that that could result in lifelong health consequences for a small number of babies. So we really want pregnant women to protect themselves," she said.

"We want people to protect infants when it's smoky outside in that neonatal stage between being in the womb and being in the real world. Infant lungs are incredibly sensitive."

Henderson said the agency plans to roll out 13 one-page fact sheets in the months to come.

As of Wednesday, B.C. had already recorded 175 wildfires in the 2019 season, burning just under 1,800 hectares.

Crews were working on two significant "wildfires of note," the 400-hectare Richter Creek wildfire near Osoyoos and the 236-hectare Lejac wildfire near Fraser Lake.