Highway 1 closed as wildfire burning in B.C. canyon expected to grow

The Brunswick Creek fire near Boston Bar is still burning out of control and has now forced the closure of Highway 1.

A wildfire that is burning out of control in the steep terrain of British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon prompted the closure of a stretch of Highway 1 Tuesday, as more than 140 properties remain under evacuation orders.

The road closed between Boston Bar Station Road and Ainslie Road North shortly before 4 p.m., according to DriveBC.

The 10.5-kilometre highway closure is due to the Brunswick Complex fire north of Boston Bar.

Inaccessible terrain, coupled with thick smoke and high winds, has hampered firefighting efforts as more than 100 firefighters and a dozen aircraft battle the blaze.

An update Tuesday from the B.C. Wildfire Service said officials expect the fire experienced significant growth overnight. It listed the fire at approximately 1,800 hectares, or 18 square kilometres.

A new fire burning within the complex, named the Ainslie Creek fire, measured 695 hectares on Tuesday evening.

B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar says the province is “preparing for the worst and hoping for the best” as 146 properties remain under evacuation orders.

The affected properties are in the North Bend and Fishblue Lake areas of the Fraser Valley Regional District, as well as in the Boothroyd Indian Band and the Boston Bar First Nation.

More than 200 additional properties on the east side of the Fraser River within the regional district are on evacuation alert.

“I would encourage all folks in that area to be on high alert, and, of course, to have their go-bags ready in case an alert order comes forward,” Parmar said in an interview.

He said there was potential for more alerts or orders Tuesday, but stressed that any information would come from regional governments.

Around the same time the highway closed, the Fraser Valley Regional District issued a new evacuation alert covering dozens of properties, most of them unaddressed parcels in the Nahatlatch and North Boothroyd areas.

The provincial wildfire service says hot, dry weather and gusty winds forecast for the canyon will create a more active fire situation, “especially in areas where wind and steep slopes align.”

Smoke from the fire complex has triggered air-quality warnings across a large swath of the B.C. Interior from Hope to Kamloops to Bella Coola.

Seven pieces of heavy machinery and 12 helicopters are battling the blaze Tuesday, including two helicopters equipped with night vision capabilities. Firefighters from Boston Bar, Popkum, Yale, and Chilliwack River are all helping in the effort.

“Ground crews are conducting direct attack and assisting structure protection operations on the northern flank of the fire,” the wildfire service said in the update.

“Ground crews are also working with heavy equipment to create a fuel break south of the fire.”

Speaking before the highway closure, Parmar said rail and road traffic through the busy Fraser Canyon corridor had not been affected by the fire, though the wildfire service warned that travellers could encounter reduced visibility and highway lane closures as firefighting equipment moves through the area.

“We want British Columbians to know that we’re in a solid position, we’ve got lots of crews on the ground, and we also have an incident management team in place that’s now managing this complex,” Parmar added.

“We do expect it to be a hotter than normal and drier than normal summer, and with that comes the risk of wildfires.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 18 active wildfires in B.C., including five that are listed as out of control.