Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento reopens
Posted August 25, 2023 7:13 pm.
Last Updated August 25, 2023 8:14 pm.
Highway 1 between Chase and Sorrento reopened Friday morning after a week-long closure due to the Bush Creek East wildfire, according to the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure.
The highway will remain closed this weekend between Boston Bar and Lytton, due to the Kookipi Creek fire that burned alongside a 10-kilometre section of Highway 1.
Burnt trees on the bluffs above the highway continue to heighten the risk of falling debris in affected areas, the ministry said. It’s actively working to remove dangerous debris and clear culverts in the affected areas, it added.
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The full reopening of the highway will depend upon the weather and local fire activity, the ministry said.
The Bush Creek East wildfire has been called “one of the most aggressive, extreme fire behaviours” in modern human firefighting history in B.C. after it shut down this stretch of road east of Kamloops. It spread 20 kilometres in under 12 hours overnight, starting August 18, and prompted evacuations on the south shore of Shuswap Lake.
As of Thursday, it was burning at 41,000 hectares, with fire officials noting it has not significantly grown in the past 72 hours. It was first discovered on July 12.
The ministry says it will provide another update on the reopening of this section of the highway on August 28.
