Wildfire and Wildfire Smoke

Summer fires and smoke are now normal here. Smoke can make you sick long before flames are anywhere near you. Know the difference between an evacuation ALERT (get ready) and an evacuation ORDER (leave now).

🚨 What should I do right now?✅ Build a checklist

🚨 Happening now⏱️ About 9 min read🔎 Last reviewed 2026-07-31

🟠 What to do now

Most urgent first. You do not have to finish the list to be safer.

Check for an alert or order for your address.
If ordered: take people, pets, medication, ID, phone, charger — and go by the route officials give.
If not ordered: close windows and doors, run a HEPA purifier or fan-and-filter box in one room.
Reduce hard physical activity, indoors and out.
Keep rescue inhalers on you, not in a drawer.
Register at a reception centre if you evacuate so family can find you.

What this is

Smoke can affect you from fires hundreds of kilometres away, on days when the sky looks only slightly hazy.
Fine particles in smoke reach deep into the lungs and bloodstream. Effects show up as headache, sore throat, cough, tight chest, and worsened asthma or heart conditions.

Warning signs

Early warning signs

Hazy sky and a smoky smell
Rising Air Quality Health Index
Dry, windy heat

Serious warning signs

Evacuation alert
Ash falling
Headache, cough, chest tightness indoors

Immediate danger signs

Evacuation order
Visible flames or spotting embers
Severe breathing difficulty

Where official alerts come from

BC Wildfire Service
Emergency Info BC
Emergency Management Cowichan
ECCC air quality statements

Prepare ahead — by the time you have

I have 5 minutes

Turn on Alertable and check BC Wildfire's map.
Put N95s where you'll actually find them.

I have 1 hour

Assemble a go-bag.
Photograph documents and email them to yourself.
Choose which room becomes the clean-air room.

I have 1 day

Build the box-fan filter.
Fill the vehicle's tank or plan a ride.
Agree a meeting place outside the valley.

Long-term improvement

Clear dry material away from the building where you're allowed to.
Add a HEPA purifier.
Keep insurance or tenant records current.

Supplies, in three levels

Start at Level 1. Everything here has a purpose and a cheaper alternative where one is safe.

Level 1 — Essentials

The minimum that makes you safer today.

N95 respirators that fitWhy: The only masks that meaningfully filter smoke particles.Low-cost option: Free at many clinics, pharmacies and outreach programs.
Go-bag by the door in fire seasonWhy: Orders can come with minutes of notice.
Rescue medication on youWhy: Smoke triggers asthma and COPD quickly.

Level 2 — Better prepared

Roughly 72 hours to seven days.

Box fan + MERV 13 furnace filter + tapeWhy: Cleans the air in a small room for around $40.Low-cost option: One fan and one filter is enough for a bedroom.
Weatherstripping or towels for gapsWhy: Keeps smoke out of the clean-air room.Low-cost option: Rolled towels work.

Level 3 — Extended resilience

Longer disruptions, built gradually.

HEPA air purifier sized for your roomWhy: Quieter and more effective over long smoke seasons.
Copies of documents stored off-siteWhy: Speeds up insurance and re-housing after a fire.

Different living situations

No house, car, garage or credit card assumed.

House or apartment

You likely have the most storage. Keep supplies near an exit, not in a locked shed or a deep basement you may not be able to reach.

Single rented room

Think in one tote and one backpack. Under the bed and the back of a closet are your storage. Flat, stackable items beat bulky ones.

Shelter or supportive housing

Ask staff about the building's emergency plan, exits and medication storage. Keep a small personal pouch with ID copies, meds and phone charger on you.

Vehicle

Keep weight low and spread out. Water, warm layers, a light and a phone charger matter most. Never cook or run a heater inside a closed vehicle.

Tent or sleeping outside

Dry beats big. Prioritise waterproofing, warmth off the ground, a light, water and a whistle. Keep the essentials in one bag you can grab and carry.

Workplace or school

A small desk or locker kit — water, a snack, a light, comfortable shoes, meds and a contact card — covers most of what you'd need to get home.

Moving between places

Carry your plan on paper and in your phone. Copies of ID, a contact card and your medication list travel with you; bulk supplies stay with someone you trust.

Accessibility, health and medication

Mobility: keep supplies at waist height and in a bag you can pull or carry. Store a spare cane, walker part or wheelchair repair kit if you rely on one.
Vision: label items with large print or texture tape and keep a torch and spare glasses in a fixed, known spot.
Hearing: turn on text-based emergency alerts, keep a written note card of key needs, and ask someone to text you rather than call.
Cognitive: use a short one-page plan with pictures or few words. Practise the first three steps only.
Medication: keep a written list of names, doses and prescriber. Ask your pharmacy about an emergency supply.
Refrigerated medication: keep a small cooler and ice packs ready, know how long your medication stays usable warm, and ask your pharmacist to confirm.
Powered equipment (oxygen, CPAP, lifts): register with BC Hydro's medical program, keep a charged backup battery, and know the nearest place with power.
Service animals: pack water, food, and a copy of vaccination records; a service animal is allowed with you in reception centres.
Mental health: emergencies make everything louder. Slow down, use the grounding steps, and reach a crisis line at 988 or 1-888-494-3888.
Substance use: never use alone during a disruption. Carry naloxone, and check it hasn't expired.
Limited English or reading: use picture cards, keep translated key phrases, and ask an outreach worker to help write your plan.

Children, seniors and pets

Children breathe more air per kilogram of body weight — keep them in the clean-air room and skip outdoor sport on smoky days.
Pregnancy, seniors, heart and lung conditions: treat moderate smoke as serious.
Pets suffer in smoke too — short walks, and bring them into the filtered room.

🚫 Mistakes to avoid

Do not rely on cloth masks, bandanas or dust masks for smoke.
Do not wait for an order if you need extra time to leave — leaving early is always allowed.
Do not drive through smoke into a closed area or past a barricade.
Do not run a generator or vehicle indoors to power a purifier.

Recovery afterward

First hour

Only return when officials say the area is open.

First day

Air out the home when outdoor air improves.
Throw out food exposed to heat, ash or long power loss.

First week

Clean ash with damp cloths and gloves, not a dry broom.
Replace filters.
Document losses for insurance.

Longer recovery

Restock N95s and the go-bag before the next season.
Note what you wished you'd taken.

☎️ Numbers worth writing down

Fire, police, ambulance: 911 — Life-threatening emergency, fire, or someone not breathing.
HealthLink BC: 811 — Free 24/7 nurse advice when you're not sure it's a 911 situation.
Poison control (BC): 1-800-567-8911 — Swallowed, breathed in, or spilled anything harmful.
9-8-8 Suicide Crisis Helpline: 988 — Call or text, 24/7, anywhere in Canada.
Vancouver Island Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888 — 24/7 local mental-health and emotional support.
BC Hydro outages: 1-888-769-3766 — Report an outage or a downed line (stay 10 m back).
Emergency Info BC: EmergencyInfoBC.gov.bc.ca — Current evacuation alerts and orders.

Personal notes: ______________________________________________

Date last checked: ____________________

Key takeaways

Alert = pack and be ready. Order = leave immediately, do not delay to pack.
Clean indoor air matters most for children, seniors, pregnant people, and anyone with asthma, COPD or heart conditions.
A box fan and one furnace filter can meaningfully clean the air in a small room for under $40.

Step-by-step

Check the air before you plan your day. Use the Air Quality Health Index and BC Wildfire Service maps. If the air is bad, cut hard physical work outdoors — breathing hard pulls smoke deeper into your lungs.
Make one clean-air room. Choose the smallest room you can close off. Keep windows and doors shut when smoke is heavy, and run a HEPA purifier or a fan-and-filter box.
Protect yourself outside. A well-fitting N95 helps with smoke particles. Cloth masks and wet bandanas do not. If you must be outdoors, take breaks in cleaner air.
If you are living outside or in a vehicle. Ask outreach or a community centre about clean-air or cooling space hours. Never run an engine or generator to filter air in an enclosed space — that is a carbon monoxide risk.
If an order comes. Take people, pets, medication, ID, phone and charger. Everything else is replaceable. Register at the reception centre so family can find you.

✅ Printable checklist

N95 masks that fit each person
One room that can be closed and filtered
Box fan + MERV 13 furnace filter + tape
Rescue inhalers and medication current
Go-bag by the door in fire season
Alerts turned on for Cowichan and BC Wildfire