BC NewsAir quality remains poor throughout the Southern InteriorAir quality remains poorPhoto: Riel Schafer Smoke has decreased in the air across the West Kootenay - Boundary, but a poor air quality warning is still in place. Poor air quality is expected to linger in the Southern Interior as wildfires continue to rage across the province. The province issued the high-impact air quality warning for the Okanagan, Shuswap, Nicola, South Thompson, Arrow Lakes - Slocan Lake, Boundary, West Kootenay, North Thompson, West Columbia, East Columbia and 100 Mile areas. The air quality is a 10-plus, or very high risk, in Kamloops and the South Okanagan, while the North Okanagan is a six, or moderate risk. Purple Air, a community driven air quality network, has its sensors showing the AQHI at a high rating in spots across the Thompson Okanagan.