The City of Richmond has closed several trails this week due to them being a fire hazard, as the current heat wave shows no signs of abating across B.C.
Earlier in the week, the city closed the Nature Park East and West trails, and followed with further closures to the Shell Road and Horseshoe Slough trails.
Future trail closures may come if the hot, dry weather continues, according to the city.
Last Friday, the city responded to the sustained heatwave by changing the city’s fire-risk rating to “extreme.”
The city stated that since May 1 the fire department has responded to 200 outdoor fires. Fifty per cent of these fires are suspected to be from discarded cigarettes and involved grass or bark mulch.
Over the weekend wildfires continued to spread in B.C.’s Interior and Coast Mountain regions causing smoke to fill the air in Metro Vancouver. While westerly winds cleared much of the smoke on Tuesday Vancouver Coastal Health continued to post an air quality advisory on Wednesday, meaning infants, the elderly and persons with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and lung or heart disease were advised to try to remain indoors in air conditioned spaces.
Since April 1 Richmond has seen just 67 millimetres of rain fall when normally it would have received 206 millimetres. May and June were some of the driest months on record for Vancouver International Airport.
Metro Vancouver’s reservoirs are just 75 per cent full now, which is below the normal range for this time of year. Meanwhile the region is now using more water (1.6 billion litres) per day than any other day last year. As such the regional government has placed ‘Stage 2’ watering restrictions for the first time in 12 years: residential homes with even numbered addresses may only sprinkle lawns and gardens on Monday from 4-9 a.m. while odd numbered addresses are permitted the same on Thursday from 4-9 a.m. Commercial properties are restricted to sprinkling on Wednesday mornings from 1-6 a.m. (even addresses) or Tuesday from 1-6 a.m. (odd addresses). Unestablished lawns, trees and shrubs may require a permit for extra watering.
Car washes remain open in Richmond, however, golf course crews will be forced to restrict watering their fairways to once a week. Meanwhile commercial window washing for aesthetic purposes is prohibited. As well, public water fountains and features are to be shut down, although water play parks with push-button activation will remain open.
