Boston Bar, B.C., residents look on as wildfire burns near small highway community

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Fernando Balanta has been staying with a friend in Boston Bar for a couple weeks, and a trip to the dump last week became “surreal” when they spotted the start of a blaze near North Bend, where residents have since fled, with evacuation orders and alerts covering hundreds of properties.

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Balanta says he was among those who called in the fire that fire has made things “a bit nerve wracking.”

He tried to “stomp it out” by beating on it with a frying pan, but the gusty conditions made it impossible.

“It just started kind of getting a little scary,” he said.

Now he worries about his friend’s children, peoples’ properties and their pets. He says many people in the community have already packed up and left, and he and his cohort are packed and ready to leave if the fire situation worsens, but for now he’s staying put and documenting the blaze for his YouTube channel.

“People are pretty mixed up,” Balanta told The Canadian Press on Thursday. “I think everybody’s just hoping for the best.”

Bihal said he couldn’t get a supplier to deliver to his restaurant, so he sent people to Surrey in his own van to stock up, as fire crews have frequented the diner while in town.

He said it’s been scary for much of the town.

“Hopefully it’s going to rain and help us,” Bihal said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2026.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press