The Wildfire Season Rages On

a state of emergency, smoky skies, and a lot of heaviness

a smoky, orange sunrise light this morning

The words are hard to find today, to encapsulate the heaviness I’ve felt this week, a heaviness deepened even further upon the worsening wildfire conditions in British Columbia these past few days. 

Firstly, I would like to share that I am safe. I am lucky at this moment in time to not have a fire encroaching on my doorstep and I desperately hope it stays that way. Until these last few days, we hadn’t even been on the receiving end of too much smoke, though it has settled in more heavily now — the mountains are murky and faint across the valley, the campfire smell permeating even through the closed windows. 

I can feel it settle in my throat, a persistent scratchiness that lingers, and a tightness in my chest. But again, I know how lucky I am that that is all we’re dealing with here.

This past Friday, the province declared a state of emergency — a long, dry summer, a heat wave, and increasingly windy conditions in some areas exacerbating an already bad situation to something even worse. In the space of 24 hours, from 4,500 homes being evacuated to 15,000 people now being forced to leave their homes across the province. Bringing totals of some 35,000 under evacuation orders, with another 30,000 under alerts.

BC has dealt with bad wildfire seasons for years, but alongside the recent state of emergency, this has been declared the worst fire season in the province’s history. And it’s unclear when the weather will shift enough to help all the firefighters in battling the numerous blazes.

We keep an eye on things — on the town in which my gramma lives not far from a large fire, on another town where other family lives that now has evacuation alerts — not yet being told to leave, but it’s a possibility. 

I try to stay abreast of what’s happening without inundating myself with the news. There are other sources of heaviness in my life lately and it’s hard to manage all of it, but I do what I can to know what’s happening without overwhelming myself, something that happens all too easily as an HSP.

And so this week has been a little bit heavier than usual. We hope to see the air direction change tonight or tomorrow, possibly bringing with it clearer skies and fresher air.

As for the rest of BC, I can only hope it cools down, that rain comes, and that the fires are brought under control. My heart goes out to any and all that have been impacted by the fires, to all the people affected, the homes lost, and the wildlife too.

Sending you all my love, I hope you are safe out there in the world.

♡ Whitney

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