Written by: Aaron Richardson, Humour Editor

VANCOUVER, BC – With over 500 wildfires burning throughout the interior of British Columbia, and thousands of people evacuated from their homes, this summer has been one of the most devastating in BC history. Although the fires have been raging for months, the true tragedy began in mid-August, when the smoke from the wildfires began to fill the Vancouver skyline and block the sun.

Multiple sources reported that for a couple of weeks the smoke emanating from the smouldering remains of forests across BC was making it more difficult for Vancouverites to tan.

“The beach was so much more depressing,” reported Sarah, 22, born and raised in Vancouver. “We’d go out there, but we wouldn’t be able to play volleyball for more than 20 minutes before the smoke started to hurt our lungs.”

Many Vancouverites were seemingly unaware of the fires raging across the province until the smoke began to obstruct their view of the mountains.

“One of my favourite parts of SFU is the view we get here,” Charles, just starting his ninth year at SFU, told reporters. “It’s part of why I came here. On one side, you can see the city, and on the other, you can see the mountains. Normally it’s so beautiful. But with the smoke you couldn’t see anything. It really put a damper on my day.”

Thankfully, due to the recent changing of the wind, the smoke has now drifted away from the Vancouver skyline, making it once again possible for Vancouverites to put the wildfires out of their minds for good.

“I’m so glad it’s finally gone,” said Jeremy, a lawyer at a downtown law firm. “I had to postpone my weekly tennis match due to the smoke. You never really believe that something like this can happen to you. It’s a big world, and it seems as if bad things happen to other people. But I think if the smoke has proved anything, it’s that no one, and no place, is immune to tragedy, not even Vancouver.”

If you walk the streets of Vancouver, you’ll see a spring in the step of most people out and about. Conversations with strangers frequently involve how great it is that the smoke from the scorching ruins of BC is now bothering someone else’s eyes.

Although the smoke-filled sky was truly a hardship for the people of Vancouver, many report that this shared experience has created a sense of community among Vancouverites.

Jessica, a native Vancouverite, told reporters, “It was a tough time. But we made it through. There’s nothing like a tragedy to bring people together. We’re just glad it’s finally over.”