Hazy skies and warm weather combination to continue all week in B.C.

Air quality in B.C. continues to be a concern Thursdayas nearly a dozen areas of the province are in "high risk" conditions.

EnvironmentCanada extended its air quality advisories for many parts of the province on Thursday. The alert now covers a stretch of the province between eastern Vancouver Island to Elk Valley, not far from the Alberta border.

Smokefrom dozens of wildfires created thehaze over the province, which started tospreadto the South Coast on Monday.

The agency said the conditions areexpected to continue for several more days.

Smoky skies have hung aroundmuch of the Interior andCaribooregions for the past several weeks.

As of 7:30 a.m., the air quality in several B.C. communities has reached at least a sevenout of 10 on theAir Quality Health Index:

• Central/EasternFraserValley.
• Kamloops.
• Metro Vancouver.
• Squamish.
• Victoria/Saanich.
• WestShore.
• Whistler.
• Williams Lake.

Those numbers are down from Wednesday, which saw ratings inKamloopsand Whistler peak at 18 and 12 out of 10, respectively.

Last month, air quality in Williams Lake which was eventually evacuateddue to a nearby wildfire hit an extreme36 out of 10.

When the index shows a number of sevenor higher, Environment Canada recommends that children, the elderly and those with respiratory conditions "take it easy" and reduce outdoor activities.

The general population should do the same if they start to coughor feel an itch in their throat.

Heat wave

Temperatures have also prompted warnings from provincial officials, with 100-year-old recordsbeing broken in several areas on Wednesday.

Environment Canada said temperatures in the Lower Mainland are expected to hang around themid-30suntil the end of the week.

Officials have been reminding locals that heat can be deadly, advising residents to stay out of the sun and avoid strenuous exercise. The City of Vancouver has even installed temporary water fountains to keep people hydrated.