No rain relief in sight for crews battling Metro Vancouver park fire after 'warmest September in history'

After one of the driest months on record in Metro Vancouver, Environment Canada says it will be a week to 10 days before the region sees any rain.

This is not good news for crews battling forest fires, including a growing wildfire in Coquitlam’s Minnekhada Regional Park. 

Not only has it been dryer than normal, it’s also been a lot warmer.

“In Vancouver, Victoria, Abbotsford, and including some other places in B.C., it’s going to be the warmest September in history,” said Yimei Li of Environment Canada.

Nine B.C. communities set high temperature records on Saturday, following a month in which several other days broke records. 

Smoke from the park wildfire could be seen all over Metro Vancouver Sunday, especially on the North Shore.

“You could really feel it, and smell it, and I could certainly feel it in my chest,” a cyclist in the area told CTV News.

Minnekhada park has been closed to ensure safety and help crews put the fire out. The public has also been asked to avoid the area. However, the regional district said in an update on social media that "there is no concern for evacuation and no structures are threatened."

Li expects Environment Canada to reveal more record-breaking statistics Monday that will show just how remarkably warm and dry it’s been. Many parts of the province are currently in a Level 4 drought, the second-highest rating on the province's five-point scale. 

“Usually by mid- or the end of September we should switch to a rainy season, however we haven’t seen that so far this year,” Li said.