U.S. wildfire smoke prompts B.C. health warnings

Environment Canada has issued air quality warnings for Vancouver Island and parts of British Columbia's Interior region due to wildfire smoke from south of the border.

The agency has issued air quality alerts for large parts of southern B.C. and the air quality health index lists the central and south Okanagan as "very high risk" followed by Victoria and Saanich on Vancouver Island as "high risk."

The government recommends rescheduling strenuous outdoor activities to better protect your health during high-risk and very-high-risk air quality warnings.

Carol Connolly, a public information officer with the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center in the U.S., says the smoke is likely from the Cold Spring and Pearl Hill fire in northern Washington state, which have grown to a combined size of 155 square kilometres.

Connolly says the fires, which sprung up over the past 24 hours, are under investigation.

She says she expects the smoke to linger over parts of B.C. for at least the next few days.