A highway in B.C.’s Interior is closed due to a wildfire Wednesday morning.
DriveBC reports Highway 97 south of Peachland, B.C., is closed in both directions for four kilometres between Brent and Renfrew Roads.
The provincial road information service says no detours are available and vehicles will be turned around.
Photos and video posted to social media show flames and smoke at the road’s edge, apparently burning up a hillside.
The B.C. Wildfire Service described the out-of-control blaze as less than a hectare in size in an online report.
“An initial attack crew and a wildfire officer are en route,” it added.
Heat warnings are in effect across B.C., which could fuel the growth of new and existing fires, officials say.
As of July 17, there are 157 active wildfires including 16 new starts over the past 24 hours. In the last seven days, 136 fires were successfully extinguished, including more than 30 in the past 24 hours.
Falls Creek fire
Drivers may also be able to see smoke from an out-of-control wildfire discovered Tuesday afternoon along Highway 1 north of Hope, officials say. Crews are attacking the blaze.
The fire at Falls Creek, 77 km north of Hope, B.C., and 144 km north of Vancouver, was described Wednesday by the wildfire service as just over one hectare in size.
Several fire crews and two helicopters, along with staff from CN Rail, are on scene at that fire.
The cause is under investigation. There are no evacuation orders or alerts because of the fire nor are there any access restrictions.
“Smoke from this fire is very visible from Highway 1 and the surrounding areas,” the wildfire service stated. “Please check DriveBC.ca for any questions [related] to the highway and travel.”
Evacuation near Spences Bridge
The latest evacuation order due to wildfires this summer comes from the Cook’s Ferry Indian Band north of Spences Bridge in the Interior due to a pair of out-of-control fires.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the fires are each about 2.5 square kilometres in size and are believed to have been sparked by lightning.
In the Lower Mainland, a brush fire near the Alex Fraser Bridge closed a lane of traffic south of the Fraser River. DriveBC reported the fire extinguished just after 8 a.m. PT.
⚠️<a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCHwy17?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#BCHwy17</a> Westbound brush fire before the <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/AlexFraserBridge?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#AlexFraserBridge</a> has the right lane blocked. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SFPR?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SFPR</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/DeltaBC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#DeltaBC</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/SurreyBC?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#SurreyBC</a> <a href=”https://t.co/aS2saTKTpB”>pic.twitter.com/aS2saTKTpB</a>
—@DriveBC
Daytime highs in the 30s are expected to continue through this week.