Image: Kamscan / X / A new wildfire has grown to 50 hectares overnight near Yale as of Sunday, August 24.

By Alyssa Conti

GROWING WILDFIRE

Out-of-control wildfire grows to 50 hectares overnight near Yale, evacuation alerts issued

Aug 24, 2025 | 8:19 AM

YALE — A new wildfire at the side of a mountain has rapidly spread overnight, roughly seven kilometres north of Yale, triggering an evacuation alert from Spuzzum First Nation and the Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD).

The Sailor Bar fire, initially discovered at 2.1 hectares on Saturday evening (Aug. 23), has now grown to 50 hectares and is highly visible from Highway 1.

Scanner traffic reported that the night-vision helicopter struggled to tackle the blaze, partly due to poor visibility and an extremely steep slope posing significant safety concerns to first responders.

There are four helicopters and one initial attack crew on scene as of this afternoon (Aug. 24).

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“This fire is burning at Rank 2 fire intensity,” wrote the BC Wildfire Service. “This means a surface fire with visible, open flame and a slow rate of spread with an unorganized or inconsistent flame front.”

The fire is suspected to be human-caused. CN Rail has been contacted, and the tracks are closed. There are no immediate threats to other infrastructure.

Spuzzum First Nation has issued an evacuation alert for the following areas:

• 1 and 1A Spuzzum
• 9 Saddle Rock
• 2, 2B and 2A Papsilqua
• 6 Skuet

The FVRD has also issued an alert for the Yale area, north to Spuzzum Creek Road. These include Electoral Area B, properties on Spuzzum Creek Road, private properties on both the east and west sides of the Fraser River from Yale north to Spuzzum Creek Road, and crown lands in the mapped area.

An alert is issued to prepare residents to leave their premises if an evacuation order is made.

More information will be added as it becomes available.