Spreading quickly’: New wildfire south of Boston Bar prompts urgent evacuation orders

A wildfire discovered south of Boston Bar, B.C., on Tuesday prompted an urgent evacuation order for anyone remaining in the multiple nearby communities. (Kyle Wood)

A new wildfire is burning south of Boston Bar, B.C., and has triggered immediate evacuation orders for anyone still in the area.

Discovered on Tuesday and currently referred to as V11090 by the B.C. Wildfire Service, the blaze was measured at 300 hectares as of around 5 p.m.

The urgent order covers Boston Bar, Boston Bar First Nation, North Bend, and Canyon Alpine, with the Fraser Valley Regional District citing a significant risk to life and safety.

The B.C. Wildfire Service hasn’t provided many details on V11090 yet, but an update from the regional district described the fire as “spreading quickly in strong winds.”

“You are in danger and need to evacuate now. Highway 1 will be closing immediately,” officials warned, in a statement, noting evacuees will have to travel northbound on the highway to reach safety, with southbound closures in effect.

Evacuation orders have been in place for some properties in the area for some time already, and a spokesperson for the regional district issued a video statement urging residents to comply, as the district became aware that people had been staying behind.

“It is not safe to return to or remain in any evacuation order area,” Samantha Piper said.

“They are at risk and should leave the area and adhere to the evacuation order. They will not know before it is too late to leave the area, or before exit access is cut off. This is a dynamic emergency with changes occurring quickly, and we need people to leave the area for their protection and the protection of first responders.”

A growing complex

This new wildfire adds to a growing number of individual blazes near Boston Bar, making up the Brunswick wildfire complex.

Most notable among them are the Ainslie Creek fire, last measured to be burning at 16,499 hectares, or 165.99 square kilometres, and the Brunswick Creek fire, which is burning at 5,389.6 hectares in size.

The regional district has an evacuee reception centre established at McArthur Island Sports Centre in Kamloops for those displaced by this fire, and any other blazes within the Brunswick wildfire complex.

Data from the B.C. Wildfire Service showed 89 active wildfires burning across the province as of 7:40 p.m. on Tuesday, 37 of which were classified as out of control, and 11 starting in the preceding 24 hours. Wildfire activity saw a massive spike in recent days, in part due to approximately 34,000 lightning strikes.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Lisa Steacy and Ben Miljure