Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento has reopened - Action News
Home WebMail Wednesday, November 13, 2024, 05:08 AM | Calgary | 0.6°C | Regions Advertise Login | Our platform is in maintenance mode. Some URLs may not be available. |
British Columbia

Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento has reopened

Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento has reopened after wildfire shut the road down a week ago.

Trans Canada Highway between Boston Bar and Lytton to remain closed through the weekend

An oncoming truck on a highway
Highway 1 westbound at Blind Bay Road on Aug. 25, 2023. (Terri Burris)

A section of the Trans Canada Highway that was closed due to wildfires in B.C.'s Shuswap region has reopened as of Friday morning, according to the province.

Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrentowas shut down Aug. 18 as the Bush Creek East wildfire straddled the highway.

The Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure says in a news release that it has been monitoring wildfire risk and activity along the corridor, and crews are continuing toclear side roads that were affected by the fire.

More than 11,000 people remain on evacuation order because of theBush Creek East fire, which now covers an estimated410 square kilometres.

That wildfire fire is out of control and considered the province's top priority, according to B.C. Wildfire Serviceinformation officer Forrest Tower.

Earlier this week, protesters challenged policeofficers at the blockade at the Blind Bay Road intersection on Highway 1, claiming that politicians couldn't prevent them from using the road.

Tower told CBCNews the confrontation did not appear to have originated with locals who have chosen to defy evacuation orders.

Two people in high visibility vests stand beside several vehicles blocking a highway.
A roadblock on Highway 1 at Sorrento, B.C., on Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023 a day after a small group of people in a convoy confronted RCMP, wanting to take supplies to the North Shuswap area. (Chad Pawson/CBC News)

Boston Bar to Lytton still closed

Meanwhile, the section of Highway 1 between Boston Bar and Lytton will remain closed through the weekend, the province says.

The Kookipi Creek wildfire remains active and out of control. Trees and boulders have been falling along that stretch of highway as a result, the Ministry of Transportation says. Tree removal and rock scaling is underway, and crews are assessing side roads to prioritize cleanup.

An update on that area is expectedon Monday, Aug. 28.