Brunswick Creek fires force evacuations near Boston Bar

The Brunswick Creek Complex fires continued to burn near Boston Bar on Friday, sending a towering column of smoke over the Fraser Canyon and forcing hundreds of people from their homes. More residents remain under evacuation alert.

A section of Highway 1 is closed in both directions, turning back travellers and limiting access to affected communities. Officials have not provided a timeline for reopening the highway or lifting evacuation orders.

The fires have produced a pyrocumulus cloud, formed by intense heat and rising smoke. BC Wildfire Service spokesperson Morgan Boyce said a cleaner air mass was allowing fire behaviour to increase. The service has added structure-protection personnel as conditions worsen near communities, but officials have not said how many structures may have been damaged.

Environment Canada meteorologist Janelle Gergely said an approaching weather change could bring gusty winds, showers and isolated thunderstorms, adding to the volatile conditions.

For Bryan Fogelman, the evacuation recalls the 2023 Kookipi wildfire, which destroyed nearly all of his family's Rio Rafting and Yoga Resort on the Nahatlatch River near Boston Bar. The rebuilt resort has had to close for much of July, one of its busiest periods, though it has so far avoided fire damage.