Smoke from B.C. wildfires clearing

Drifting smoke from wildfires that has blanketed Western Canada for the past few days appeared to be starting to clear on Saturday.

The buildings on prairie city skylines were becoming easier to see, but a smoky smell lingered across much of the West.

Provincial monitoring stations in Alberta and Saskatchewan were reporting mostly fair air quality conditions as of noon on Saturday. On Thursday, when the smoke rolled into Alberta, the air quality index was poor.

Chief medical officers in Alberta and Saskatchewan have issued warnings urging people with chronic lung conditions to stay indoors, and even advised people with healthy lungs to avoid strenuous activity.

Sunday's marathon in Edmonton is still scheduled to go ahead, although organizers say the runners will be advised to take precautions.

Westerly winds over the past few days have blown smoke as far as Manitoba and northern Ontario, Environment Canada meteorologist John McIntyre said.

But low pressure systems in Montana and B.C. will soon bring northerly winds, McIntyre said, which should continue to clear the smoke and hopefully deliver showers to help quench the fires.

Across British Columbia there were 178 sizable fires burning as of Friday.