{
  "id": 1325081,
  "title": "B.C. offering free N95 masks for B.C. Interior as wildfire smoke persists",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/b-c-offering-free-n95-masks-for-b-c-interior-as-wildfire-smoke-1325081",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-16T18:04:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Global News",
    "slug": "global-news",
    "url": "https://globalnews.ca/news/12023424/b-c-offering-free-n95-masks-for-b-c-interior-as-wildfire-smoke-persists/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "British Columbia is providing free N95 masks to Interior communities as persistent wildfire smoke continues to impact the province. Erin Trainer, deputy mayor of Summerland, returned to her town on Saturday and reported that most of Trout Creek remains under evacuation orders due to the ongoing fire's activity. The BC Wildfire Service predicts that wildfire smoke will gradually move back into central areas of the province over the weekend, potentially reducing heat reaching the landscape and moderating fire behavior. Many residents near Summerland and West Kelowna can now return to their homes after evacuation orders for the Bald Range and Quilpituk Creek wildfires were recently downgraded. Temperatures in central and southern regions are expected to slightly rise, while northwest areas will see a slight decrease. The province is offering free N95 masks in Interior communities to protect residents from the health impacts of wildfire smoke. Residents are advised to check with local governments for information on clean-air locations in their areas. Currently, over 120 fires are burning across the province, with 39 percent classified as out of control control. Global News encourages followers to add the channel as a Preferred Source on Google to view more stories in search results.",
  "summary": "The wildfire service says temperatures are expected to slightly rise across central and southern regions while northwest areas will see a slight dip in temperatures.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Global News",
        "title": "B.C. offering free N95 masks for B.C. Interior as wildfire smoke persists",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/16/b-c-offering-free-n95-masks-for-b-c-interior-as-wildfire-smoke",
        "published": "2026-08-16T18:04:11.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}