UPDATE: Pair of major B.C. highways closed due to wildfires as Fraser Canyon evacuation orders expand

UPDATE (10:00 p.m.): A pair of major highways connecting the Interior and the Lower Mainland will be closed overnight Tuesday (July 21) due to wildfires, as new evacuation orders and alerts are issued in the Fraser Canyon.

The Trans-Canada Highway has been closed once again due to a new wildfire burning south of the community of Boston Bar, and people who’ve stayed back in affected areas of the Fraser Canyon are being told to leave immediately.

EARLIER STORY ( 5:00 PM )  The new fire is an estimated 300 hectares in size, and its said to be spreading quickly in strong winds, prompting the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) to issue an urgent evacuation order.

“For your safety, residents who have remained in the Boston Bar, North Bend and Canyon Alpine community areas MUST LEAVE NOW,” the Fraser Valley Regional District said in a statement Tuesday (July 21). “You are in danger and need to evacuate immediately.”

The FVRD said a reception centre for evacuees of the Brunswick Complex fires has been set up at McArthur Island in Kamloops. It’s unclear how many people have remained back in Boston Bar, as the community was first ordered to evacuate on Thursday last week.

Evacuation orders have been in effect for North Bend since July 4 and Canyon Alpine since July 7.

At last check, the Brunswick Creek fire was an estimated 54 square kilometres in size, while the Ainslie Creek fire was an estimated 165 square kilometres in size.

According to Drive BC, a 41 kilometre stretch of Highway 1 between Anderson River Forest Service Road and Jackass Summit is currently closed. The next update is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Wednesday morning.