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Heat Wave in British Columbia Keeping Swimming Pools, Hardware Stores Busy

Posted on: Saturday, 22 July 2006, 21:00 CDT

By ELIANNA LEV

VANCOUVER (CP) - Steady lineups marked the entrances of public swimming pools around B.C. over the weekend as the province continued to bake in an unseasonal heat wave.

Environment Canada's website said most of the province experienced far higher-than-normal temperatures for a second straight day on Saturday, with more of the same forecast Sunday.

For instance, it was 39 degrees in Grand Forks where the usual for this time of year is 28.

The hot, dry weather was a perfect setup for potentially disastrous conditions in B.C.'s forests.

But fire information officer Radha Fisher was surprised to see that no major fires had erupted as of Saturday, suggesting that bans on back-yard and industrial burning might get some of the credit. But that didn't mean B.C. will get off scott-free.

"Things have calmed down, we're still in a lull," she said. "However, we are looking forward to some pretty active behaviour given the forecast."

Retailers reported a run on cooling gear.

At Fortin's Home Hardware in Chilliwack, stocks of air-conditioners and stand-up fans were running low. Manager Kerry MacDonald said many of the other stores around town had already sold out.

"People are looking hard for something to find to keep cool," he said. "We have air conditioning in the store so people are shopping here longer."

For those who ventured out into the heat, many opted to chill out the old-fashioned way at a local swimming pool.

Lifeguard Gail Findlay-Shirras at Vancouver's Mount Pleasant pool said it had been more hectic than usual since the heat struck.

"The pool's been full until close," she said. "It's been wild and busy."

Co-ordinators at Kits Tower, a dispatch centre that staffs outdoor pools and beaches in Vancouver, were scrambling to find extra staff to work Saturday because the volume of swimmers required the maximum number of guards.

The hot weather also resulted in an air quality advisory from a number of regional districts, Environment Canada and the Ministry of Environment, a rare measure in a province known for its clean seacoast and mountain air.

Air quality in the Lower Fraser Valley was considered to be fair to poor. Motorists were advised to reduce emissions.

The last time the province had experienced such run of record temperatures was in 1998. Before that the record was set in 1958.

Source: Canadian Press

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