Smoke from the Mine Creek Fire to the west of the Coquihalla Highway, about 40 kilometers north of Hope. That fire has prompted the closure of the Merritt to Hope section of the Coquihalla/via BC Wildfire Service.
A flare-up of the Mine Creek Fire to the west of the highway on the Hope-Merritt section has forced the shutdown of the Coquihalla along that stretch.
The Merritt to Hope section of the highway was closed down last night, with DriveBC reporting an update will not be coming until around 10am.
This means those hoping to get down to the coast will have to take the Fraser Canyon, which remains open, despite having its own wildfire issues.
The Kamloops to Merritt section of the Coq is still open for those hoping to use the Okanagan Connector.
The Mine Creek fire, which is burning about 40 kilometers north of Hope, broke out on Monday and exploded in size, generating a large amount of smoke which is one of the main contributors to our declining air quality here in Kamloops and the region.
Environment Canada has issued an air-quality advisory for Kamloops, with wildfire smoke expected to keep the AQI in the 5 range today, which is considered moderate.
The Mine Creek fire has also prompted the Thompson Nicola Regional District to issue an evacuation order.
Those living in a single property in the area were told to leave last night around 8pm, with the TNRD worried about the road into the area being cut off by that fire, which is now listed at just under 500 hectares after being sparked by a lightening strike on the holiday Monday.
