Environment Canada has issued air quality statements for the Fraser Valley and much of southeastern B.C., while fog is also expected across Metro Vancouver on Saturday. The BC Wildfire Service says a lightning-sparked fire that started in northern Washington state last month now covers 70 square kilometers — including nearly 31 square kilometers burned in EC Manning Provincial Park, about 175 kilometers east of Vancouver — from when the fire crossed the border Last week. The flames are within five kilometers of Manning Park Resort, prompting an evacuation alert for 180 properties in the nearby community of Eastgate, but no homes or park infrastructure have been lost. The fire service is also closely monitoring a suspected human-caused fire that broke out Thursday night west of Hope and has charred more than 30 hectares of brush on steep terrain near Highway 1, but is not threatening the busy route or nearby properties. pic.twitter.com/RTvEHMGPWN —@BCGovFireInfo RCMP are asking drivers on Highway 1 to drive with caution amid reduced visibility due to smoke from the wildfire. A separate wildfire in northern Idaho is also spewing smoke into southeastern BC, while small fires in the southern Okanagan and Kootenays prompted evacuation notices — but only the Manning Park fire and two in northeastern BC are classified as wildfires. The fire service says wind and heat are complicating the fight for crews in the northeast, where a 132 square kilometer fire west of Hudson’s Hope and a 60 square kilometer fire southeast of Tumbler Ridge remain out of control, prompting evacuation orders and warnings for around communities. Nearly 200 fires are currently burning in BC, with 77 reported in the past week. The fire department says the majority were caused by lightning. Nearly 200 fires are currently burning in BC, including the Flood Falls Trail fire southwest of Hope, BC. (Sean Renihan)
