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Heat warning issued for southern Fraser Canyon, Surrey opens cooling centres

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It continues to be a very hot July in B.C., with a historic wildfire season and drought conditions sweeping the province.

On Wednesday, Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a heat warning for Fraser Canyon South, which stretches from Sunshine Valley to Lytton.

Daytime high temperatures reaching 35 C are in the forecast—with Lytton already beating that at 36.6 C on Wednesday afternoon—with overnight lows nearing 18 C.

“An unseasonably hot period will persist over the next three days. Daytime temperatures will drop to the low 30s this weekend while overnight lows will remain elevated,” the ECCC alert reads.

Fraser Health issued its own warning on Wednesday, urging people in the area to check on those who are at high risk of heat-related illnesses

Information on how to prepare for extreme heat and what to do if you experience a heat-related illness is available on the BC Centre for Disease Control’s website.

Meanwhile in Metro Vancouver, the City of Surrey is opening its community cooling centres and misting tents as temperatures are expected to rise over the next two days. 

The city also issued a statement saying seasonally high temperatures and dry weather is increasing the risk of brush fires throughout Surrey, reminding residents that open burning is currently banned.

According to the city, brush and grass fire incidents are up compared to previous years, with crews responding to 371 of such fires since May 1. Most of them were human-caused. 

In Port Moody, a ban on the use of barbeques and other cooking appliances in parks, forested lands and green spaces was put in place Wednesday.

The fire danger rating is “extreme” in the city.

Other cities in the Lower Mainland are heating up, with Abbotsford and Chiliwack reaching 32 C on Wednesday. Further east, Hope and Kelowna are also 32 C.

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