Coquihalla Highway reopens between Hope and Merritt after trailer fire

A semi-truck on fire on the Coquihalla Highway is shown on Monday, April 20. (Courtesy: Skilled Truckers Canada)

COQUIHALLA — The main highway linking British Columbia’s Lower Mainland to the Interior has reopened after being closed for much of Tuesday because of a semi-trailer fire that set off a forest blaze.

The provincial Ministry of Transportation’s DriveBC information system says the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt reopened around 7 p.m. Tuesday.

DriveBC said on social media platform X at the time that crews were continuing environmental cleanup at the site, asking motorists to be cautious as they head to the Interior.

The highway was closed Monday night after a semi-trailer was fully engulfed by a fire, and the vehicle then stopped on the highway’s right shoulder which sparked a blaze on nearby wooded lands.

The BC Wildfire Service was called in to suppress the blaze, which it says is now under control.

It is unclear what sparked the fire.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2026.