On most evenings, the sunset shadows on my window blinds look like this:

This evening, though, they looked like this:

There is a wildfire growing near Cameron Lake, about 60 km (37 miles) to the north of where I live. Properties near the fire are on evacuation alert, but I haven’t read or heard much about the progress of the fire in recent hours.

As I settled in for the evening I noticed that the sunset was a lot more orange than usual, and I am assuming it is because of the smoke from the wildfire. There are lots of them in British Columbia at the moment, and this morning there were 134, up from 61 yesterday. Most of them have been caused by lightning strikes but some are caused by human activity. It has been very hot and dry recently, so the least spark can cause a wildfire.

While I continue to be concerned about the fires and the people who live near them, I am also fascinated by the unusual colours in the sky.

*****

Update 2 August 2025, 1:00 PM: Evacuation orders expanded to almost 200 properties. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-wildfires-nanaimo-cameron-lake-lytton-aug-2-1.7600432?cmp=rss

Update 4 August 2025, 10:16 AM: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/wesley-ridge-fire-vancouver-island-august-4-2025-1.7600944?cmp=rss