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CALGARY — The smoke has cleared after the worst forest fire season in B.C. history but tourism operators fear the reputational damage to their industry will linger far into the future.

Hundreds of wildfires fanned by hot, dry conditions forced the province to declare a state of emergency in British Columbia for the second year in a row.

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From Aug. 15 to Sept. 7, evacuation orders, closed roads and smoke-filled parks affected thousands of residents and visitors and the smoke was so thick it spilled over into Alberta and parts of the northwestern United States.

“We’ve run our guiding business for 30 years — in 30 years, we’ve had three smoky years and two of them were back-to-back, which is not a good sign, right?” said Ian Eakins of family-owned Wells Gray Adventures.

“I’m a bit concerned, absolutely. If this is our future, it’s a lot tougher game, isn’t it?”

The company which offers guided hut-to-hut backcountry hiking trips in the summer for small groups was shut down for three weeks in 2017 when the province closed Wells Gray Provincial Park due to fire danger.