BRITISH COLUMBIA: Highway 1 through British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon officially reopened on Saturday. The major route had been completely shut down since July 7, after the Brunswick wildfire complex near Boston Bar expanded rapidly out of control. Although traffic has resumed, authorities emphasized that strict safety regulations and travel restrictions remain firmly in place.
According to data available on Saturday morning, the Brunswick Creek wildfire on the west side of the canyon has scorched 28.36 square kilometres, while the Ainslie Creek wildfire on the east side has expanded to a massive 158.47 square kilometres. Both blazes remain classified as out of control, and multiple evacuation orders and alerts continue to be active across the region.
DriveBC confirmed that the highway is currently restricted to a single lane active in each direction, with a mandatory reduced speed limit of 60 km/h. Motorists are strictly prohibited from stopping their vehicles within the active wildfire zone. Julia Caranci, a BC Wildfire Service information officer, noted that prior to the closure, many drivers had unsafely stopped on the road to take photos and videos of the flames, heavily disrupting emergency response efforts. She urged travelers to proceed continuously without stopping at any point.
Firefighters are taking advantage of a slight dip in temperatures and temporary cloud cover to launch direct ground and aerial attacks against the steep, mountainous terrain. Crews are working aggressively to maximize containment this weekend, as weather forecasts indicate that strong winds and scorching heat are expected to return by Monday and Tuesday. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fires in the Brunswick complex were human-caused rather than ignited by lightning. Currently, there are 18 active wildfires burning across British Columbia, four of which remain completely out of control.
