Banner unveiled on welcome sign to 70 Mile House greeting residents upon their return from evacuation orders from the Pear Lake fire/via Martin Huber on Facebook
A tale of two fires going — it would seem — in opposite directions when it comes to their impact on communities in Thompson Nicola Regional District and the Kamloops Fire Centre.
The primary transportation route between Kamloops and the Lower Mainland is under increasing threat as the massive Ainslie Creek wildfire marches eastward toward the Coquihalla Highway.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has expanded its evacuation alerts to cover properties directly along Highway 5, stretching from Juliet Drive south to the Britton Creek Rest Area.
The Fraser Valley Regional District has issued contiguous alerts covering the Coquihalla Summit and Coquihalla Lakes.
The proactive alerts come as the southeastern flank of the 54,000-hectare blaze continues to consume dense fuel.
The BC Wildfire Service says the leading edge of the fire is now just 10 to 11 kilometres away from the Coq.
“We saw multiple heads on that fire into the evening last night moving towards the highway corridors, including the Coquihalla and up towards Highway 8,” said BC Wildfire Service Director of Operations Cliff Chapman during a provincial briefing on Tuesday. “We continue to be challenged by steep terrain on that fire, but we continue to deploy resources on all aspects of that fire to try to control it.”
While the BC Wildfire Service maintains there is no imminent threat of the fire overrunning the highway through Wednesday, the expanding alerts are a signal that officials are preparing for that potential.
With Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon already closed off due to the same Brunswick Complex fires, a closure on the Coquihalla would force commuters and commercial traffic into massive detours.
Rerouting traffic between Vancouver and Kamloops via the Sea to Sky Highway (Highway 99) through Lillooet, or the route along Highway 3 through Princeton adds about three hours drive time to the standard trip.
Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz/via City of Merritt
While inconvenient, a shutdown of the Coquihalla Highway due to wildfires is not without precedent.
“We had that last year with the Mine Creek fire,” noted Merritt Mayor Mike Goetz when asked about what preparations that community is taking should there be a shutdown of Highway 5. “In September [2025], the Coquihalla went down, it went across the road.”
“This happened with the Juliette Creek fire, this happened with the Shovel Nose fire,” added Goetz. “It’s something that we’re fairly used to.. It blocks the road for two or three days.”
Evacuations repealed in South Cariboo despite lingering drought concerns
While the fire situation remains in flux for those living to the south and west of Merritt, as well as potential travellers, the regional wildfire fight is presenting a stark contrast further north.
The latest reprieve is for a small group of 8 properties in the TNRD-administered area near 70-Mile House, who were taken from Evacuation Order down to an Alert on Wednesday afternoon.
They join their over 1,100 other properties in the 70-Mile, South Green Lake, Hutcheson Lake, Loon Lake and 20-Mile House who were given the opportunity to return home this week with downgrades to their evacuation orders.
While the downgrades offer a reprieve for returning residents—many of whom have been out of their homes for up to two weeks—provincial officials are warning that the danger in the region is far from over.
“We are expecting a high potential for lightning-caused wildfire starts, particularly in the Central Interior and Okanagan, which are receiving limited precipitation and dry lightning,” B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said Tuesday. “New ignitions occurring during these periods of hot and dry weather can establish and spread quickly.”
To mitigate the risk of new fires stretching already exhausted crews, the province has implemented a strict ban on off-road vehicles on Crown land across the Kamloops, Southeast, Cariboo, and Coastal fire centres.
“We can’t afford a human-caused wildfire right now,” Parmar stressed. “Now is the time for all of us in British Columbia to dig deep and to do our part.”
Clinton re-entry checklist being filled in
Despite the progress in outlying areas, the Village of Clinton remains under a strict evacuation order following losses from the Pear Lake fire.
Screen shot from video detailing planned ignition in early August which was successfully completed northeast of Clinton to reduce fire risk/via BC Wildfire Service
In a daily re-entry update published Tuesday, village officials confirmed there is currently no scheduled date for residents to return home, and access remains restricted to first responders for life-saving purposes only.
However, local officials are making headway on their return-to-home strategy, which they’re working in coordination with along side the province and the TNRD, which includes waste recovery support and a lengthy safety checklist.
Mayor Roland Stanke noted in a social media update Tuesday evening that engineers and staff recently completed a helicopter tour of the local watershed, reporting that the damage does not appear to be as severe as originally feared.
While crews are still waiting for water sample results to return, Stanke says that delay is not a “return stopper,” as many area citizens rely on private wells.
The village has also outlined significant progress on other critical infrastructure, confirming that power, phone, and gas services are now fully functional, and 911 access is ready.
Despite the progress, significant hurdles remain before the evacuation order can be lifted.
“There is still lots of threat of embers flaring up due to unpredictable wind conditions,” Stanke stated. “There is an established control line in key areas around town which should limit the potential of flareups.”
Officials are also navigating competing priorities regarding local road access, balancing pressure from the Ministry of Transportation to reopen the highway against concerns from the BC Wildfire Service that traffic could hamper ongoing suppression efforts.
In the meantime, RCMP and Conservation Officers have issued more than $15,000 in fines to individuals attempting to access the village without authorization over the past two weeks. Officials confirm there have been no reports of looting, and note that residents checking their doorbell cameras may see authorized utility and security workers on their properties.
