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Mudslide shuts off Hwy 1 through Fraser Canyon as Coquihalla still closed due to wildfire

This leaves one route for any travellers: Highway 3 from Hope to Princeton
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Map of Spences Bridge Highway 1 closure on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021. (Drive BC map)

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.

ALSO READ: Coquihalla closures causes traffic congestion and anger in Princeton

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.

ALSO READ: Tourists should not travel to Okanagan as region up in flames: Public Safety Minister

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.ca

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About the Author: Ashley Wadhwani-Smith

I began my journalistic journey at Black Press Media as a community reporter in my hometown of Maple Ridge, B.C.
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