BC Coroner issues safety alert over wildfire smoke after child’s death

VICTORIA – British Columbia’s coroner has issued a public safety bulletin about wildfire smoke as it confirmed a nine-year-old boy died from a medical condition aggravated by the smoke.

The service says the sudden and unexpected death of Carter Vigh of 100 Mile House is a heartbreaking loss for his family and the community.

The boy’s mother, Amber Vigh, says in a statement on Facebook she hopes to raise awareness about the seriousness of asthma.

Carter Vigh died last week in hospital.

There are more than 370 wildfires burning in the province and air-quality alerts from wildfire smoke cover a large section of the province.

The BC Coroners Service says in a statement that as the province experiences greater impacts from the effects of climate change, residents are learning more about the risks associated with wildfire smoke, extreme heat and other environmental factors.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2023.

Note to readers: This is a corrected story. A previous story wrongly attributed an announcement about the cause of death to a provincial government statement.

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