City of Merritt emergency personnel on standby as wildfire evacuations widen

UPDATE: 3:07 p.m. Emergency officials in Merritt are keeping an eye on the situation in the Fraser Canyon, where large wildfires forced the evacuation of Boston Bar on Thursday morning.

City of Merritt emergency personnel on standby as wildfire evacuations widen Merritt keeping eye on fires UPDATE: 3:07 p.m. Emergency officials in Merritt are keeping an eye on the situation in the Fraser Canyon, where large wildfires forced the evacuation of Boston Bar on Thursday morning. “We still have our emergency operations centre active at a low level and our ESS team has been supporting evacuees, and we’re continuing to monitor the situation,” said Adam Hart, emergency program coordinator with the City of Merritt.

The Fraser Valley Regional District has directed evacuees requiring in-person support to Shxwhá:y Village in Chilliwack. The Boston Bar First Nation issued an evacuation order for its IR 1 Tuckkwiowhum reserve at midnight and the town was evacuated at 8:30 a.m. The First Nation said in a social media post evacuees in need of lodging and financial assistance can also visit Shxwhá:y Village or Seabird Island near Agassiz, northeast of Chilliwack.

“Our team will be going door-to-door today and tomorrow to check in with evacuees and ensure everyone has the support they need,” the social media post reads. Multiple evacuation orders and alerts are in place due to the Brunswick Complex. Click here for more information about which properties are impacted.

UPDATE: 11:08 a.m. The BC Wildfire Service says it expects to see aggressive wildfire behaviour Thursday on a pair of large wildfires burning out of control near Boston Bar, with strong winds forecast for the afternoon.

The complex includes the Ainslie Creek and Brunswick Creek wildfires burning on opposite sides of the Fraser River in the Boston Bar area, about 20 kilometres south of Lytton. The fires were last mapped at 16,197 and 3,194 hectares, respectively. The Fraser Valley Regional District issued an evacuation order for Boston Bar at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday and the Boston Bar First Nation issued an order for its IR 1 Tuckkwiowhum reserve overnight.

BCWS said conditions will be unstable over the complex Thursday, with dry lightning and chances of minimal rain. The wildfire service said it saw elevated fire behaviour and activity on both fires Wednesday evening and aggressive behaviour is expected to continue throughout Thursday, particularly during the afternoon when strong winds are predicted. “We expect to see mainly northerly light winds in the morning, shifting to southerly in the afternoon, with the potential for strong erratic gusts,” an online update reads.

BCWS said it will be shifting its tactics and objectives to ensure the safety of crews and personnel working on the fires in the complex. Highway 1 is closed north of Boston Bar up to Lytton and BCWS said the fires are still active burning along the highway corridor. Multiple evacuation orders and alerts are in place due to the Brunswick Complex.

Click here for more information about which properties are impacted. UPDATE: 10:13 a.m.

Firefighters battling the Brunswick Complex wildfires are bracing for strong winds, heat and possible dry lightning near Boston Bar, which was ordered to evacuate on Thursday morning. The complex includes the 16,197-hectare Ainslie Creek wildfire and the 3,194-hectare Brunswick Creek wildfire burning on opposite sides of the Fraser River in the Boston Bar area, about 20 kilometres south of Lytton. The Fraser Valley Regional District issued an evacuation order for Boston Bar at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday.

Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures to climb to 35 C in Boston Bar on Thursday afternoon, with southerly winds increasing to 40 km/h and gusting to 60 km/h by about 4 p.m. Showers and thunderstorms are possible beginning Thursday evening, but the BC Wildfire Service has warned storm cells could produce dry lightning and erratic wind gusts of up to 70 or 80 km/h, which could cause fire behaviour to intensify. Crews had been working around the clock to protect structures between Boston Bar and Jackass Mountain, patrol for hot spots and build containment lines.

Heavy equipment was also constructing a precautionary guard around structures and other values near Boston Bar, while helicopters — including aircraft equipped for night operations — were cooling areas of heat along the southeast flank. Firefighters also carried out small-scale hand ignitions to remove unburned fuel between the fire’s edge and control lines. BCWS said crews would prioritize worker safety if fire behaviour increases during Thursday’s unstable weather.

Multiple evacuation orders and alerts are in place due to the Brunswick Complex. Click here for more information about which properties are impacted. ORIGINAL STORY: 9:11 a.m.

Residents of Boston Bar have been ordered to evacuate due to a wildfire that flared overnight. Evacuees are being told to head south via Highway 1, away from the Brunswick complex of fires that has been threatening the community this month. The Fraser Valley Regional District says people in need of support should head to the Shxwháy Village community centre in Chilliwack.

The fire complex consisting of the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek fires had already triggered a series of evacuation orders and alerts involving hundreds of properties, but the order issued Thursday morning extends the evacuation to the town site, which is home to about 170 residents. An evacuation order and alert were separately issued for a new fire looming over Pemberton, B.C., as the number of fire starts across the province spiked overnight. The BC Wildfire Service says there are now about 31 active blazes across British Columbia, including 14 started in the last 24 hours.

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