Flood Falls Trail fire west of Hope grows to 545 hectares

An evacuation order was issued for parts of Hunter Creek and Laidlaw.

Eastbound Highway 1 re-opened on Monday between Annis Road, Exit 129 and Flood Hope Road, Exit 168, utilizing a counterflow lane, although traffic has been clogged up during peak times. Westbound traffic was flowing normally as of Monday afternoon, Emil Anderson Maintenance said on social media.

“With the current fire conditions and the additional traffic pattern changes in place, we are likely to see travel times increased,” Emil Anderson Maintenance said in a statement posted to social media. “We encourage everyone to drive safely and ask that motorists watch for signs and directions from traffic controllers in the area.”

According to the B.C. Wildfire Service, “This fire is burning is very steep terrain presenting access challenges for ground crews. Helicopters are focusing on bucketing the east and west flanks of this fire. Crews continued to action and monitor the fire last night, September 12.”

BCWS says inflow will continue today (Sept. 13) and they can expect to see increased smoke and cloudy conditions this morning. They expect temperatures to be cooler today towards seasonable norms; light showers are expected later today and tomorrow.

Wildfire crews will protect identified values with a focus on the North flank at low elevations of the fire near the Highway 1 using a water delivery system, BCWS said in a statement. Structure protection and crews are also actively working along the Hunter Creek rest stop.

by Mike Vanden Bosch

Flood Falls Trail fire west of Hope grows to 545 hectares

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