Two of three highways connecting the Lower Mainland and B.C. Interior are currently closed.
As of Monday night (Aug. 16), Highway 1 was shut down indefinitely between Hope and Cache Creek due to a mudslide near Spences Bridge.
The Coquihalla (Highway 5) has been closed since Sunday, due to the raging July Lake wildfire.
This leaves one route for any travellers: Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton, before either using Highway 5A from there to Merritt and then using Highway 97 to Kelowna and Vernon.
#BCHwy1 – Closed #HopeBC to #CacheCreek: https://t.co/wofLJgh6nu & https://t.co/qHQqgSv5zS#BCHwy3 – OPEN#BCHwy5 – Closed #HopeBC to #MerrittBC: https://t.co/3l0ayTIibh
All BC Hwy and Road Closures: https://t.co/U4ZTx62pPT
— DriveBC (@DriveBC) August 17, 2021
On Tuesday, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth urged anyone travelling for non-essential reasons to avoid the Thompson-Nicola and Okanagan regions to keep what routes are still available open for possible evacuations.
There are currently 264 wildfires burning in the province, with some of the largest and most threatening blazes around West Kelowna, Lytton and west of Prince George.
@ashwadhwani
ashley.wadhwani@bpdigital.caLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Want to support local journalism? Make a donation here.
