Highway 20 in B.C.’s Chilcotin region has reopened to traffic after being closed overnight due to the Beef Trail Creek wildfire, but the Coquihalla Highway remains shut between Merritt and Hope as a wildfire there burns out of control.
In an update Thursday morning, DriveBC said Highway 20 west of Anahim Lake is now open to traffic, but warned that “dynamic wildfire activity in the area” could prompt further closures without notice.
The road is a vital link to Bella Coola and communities along the Central Coast.
The Beef Trail Creek fire, measured at an estimated 78 square kilometres as of Thursday morning, prompted an evacuation order earlier this week for 150 parcels of land and several Ulkatcho First Nation reserves. Evacuation alerts are also in place for nearby areas around Bosk and Dusty lakes, southeast of the evacuation order area.
✅ CLEAR – <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCHwy20?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BCHwy20</a> has now reopened west of <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/AnahimLake?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#AnahimLake</a>. Be aware that due to dynamic wildfire activity in the area, further closures are possible.<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BellaCoola?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BellaCoola</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/WilliamsLake?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#WilliamsLake</a> <a href=”https://t.co/RvTkFWFXHI”>https://t.co/RvTkFWFXHI</a>
—@DriveBC
An evacuation alert means residents should be prepared to leave at a moment’s notice, while an evacuation order means residents should leave immediately.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says hot and dry conditions are contributing to large fire growth during the day that is challenging firefighting efforts, though the fire has not crossed Highway 20 or the Beef Trail Forest Service Road.
Coquihalla Highway remains closed
The Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) between Hope and Merritt, which connects the Lower Mainland with the Interior, remains closed because of the nearby Mine Creek wildfire, which has grown to about 1,900 hectares since it was first discovered Monday.
DriveBC says detours are available via Highway 1 or Highway 3.
Video shared to social media Wednesday shows vehicles passing large trees engulfed in flames on both sides of the highway, before it was closed in the afternoon.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says record heat and strong winds pushed the Mine Creek wildfire to Rank 5 behaviour on Wednesday, which means an extremely vigorous surface fire that can burn to the tops of trees. By Thursday morning, the service says the fire was showing rank 2 and 3 fire behaviour, indicating a moderately vigorous surface fire.
On Wednesday, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order for one property along the side of the Coquihalla, as well as evacuation alerts for 84 nearby rural properties.
The Fraser Valley Regional District also issued an evacuation alert for the Coquihalla Lakes Lodge and Coquihalla rest stop area due to the blaze.
Air quality warnings across B.C.
B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar warned Wednesday that the province is expecting a rise in wildfire activity due to lightning in the forecast and recent high temperatures.
Wildfires burning in B.C. have led to poor air quality across the province, with smoky conditions expected to linger in many regions for at least a few days, and impacts already being felt on transportation routes.
Environment Canada has special air quality statements in place for 32 areas across B.C., including in Metro Vancouver, warning of hazy skies and degraded conditions that may persist into the weekend.
As of Thursday morning, 154 wildfires are burning across B.C., including nine new starts in the past 24 hours.
Record-breaking temperatures
Temperatures in British Columbia have hit all-time Canadian record levels for the month of September for the second consecutive day.
The mercury hit a new record of 40.8 C in Cache Creek on Wednesday, a day after Lytton matched the 40 C record that had previously been set in Manitoba.
Cache Creek, about 85 kilometres west of Kamloops, was among 16 locations that set daily heat records on Wednesday.
Environment Canada has six heat warnings in place in areas including the Fraser Canyon and the Thompson, Boundary and 100 Mile regions.
