The smoke today (I’m in Arnprior, sore throat from fires north of us in Quebec) prompted a very timely memory. I was driving on the Trans Canada along the Fraser River on this day in June 2015 with Suzo Hickey, working our way back to Vancouver from Prince Rupert (among other places). We started seeing smoke along the highway from miles away, the sky becoming an eerie gold, and the water bronzed by reflecting that sky. The light reminded me of what it looks like during an eclipse – it’s all wrong.

We stopped around Lytton, and watched a wildfire spread through the mountains across the river with a complicated blend of feelings; awe of the beauty, fear of the fire, embarrassment over watching and doing nothing (taking photos of a fire is like watching a train wreck?) It turned out CN rail-cutting activities had set grass on fire during a spell of hot, dry and windy weather, causing the fire that burned over 22 square km and was not put out until that October.

Lytton was mostly destroyed by wildfires during the record breaking heatwave of June 2021, when temperatures there reached just over 49 degrees.

All I can think is….be afraid. Be very afraid. (click individual images for larger versions)