Sailor Bar wildfire burns north of Yale, B.C., prompts evacuation alerts

The BC Wildfire Service provided this image of a blaze burning near Yale on Aug. 24, 2025.

Fire crews are working to contain a wildfire north of Yale in B.C.’s Fraser Canyon as it grows to roughly 120 hectares, prompting local evacuation alerts.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said the Sailor Bar fire started late Saturday. Steep and challenging terrain has made firefighting efforts difficult, though crews have been actively deploying both ground and aerial resources.

Evacuation alerts have been issued by the Fraser Valley Regional District and the Spuzzum First Nation as a precaution. The blaze is highly visible from Highway 1, and has led to the temporary closure of Canadian National Railway tracks in the area. Officials said overnight, there was no spread along the railway, and no infrastructure is currently at risk.

The blaze has also contributed to worsening air quality in surrounding areas. Environment officials have issued air quality advisories, urging residents – particularly those with respiratory conditions – to limit outdoor activities and take precautions.

The fire is suspected to be human caused. Authorities are urging residents and visitors to exercise caution during the ongoing late-summer heat wave, which has contributed to dry and volatile conditions across the province.

“We do have this warming, drying condition which is very unique for late August after a period of extended drought in the summer,” Kimberley Kelly, B.C. Wildfire Service fire information officer, told reporters Monday.

“So our fuels are very susceptible to ignition and spread,” she continued.

There are currently around 70 wildfires burning across B.C.