Wildfire east of Chilliwack closes Highway 1 lane

A small wildfire east of Chilliwack has forced the closure of part of Highway 1 toward Hope.

At least one of the eastbound lanes has been shut down to allow BC Wildfire Service crews to battle the flames, located northwest of Waleach Lake.

One caller to CityNews said the fire is about 300 metres from the highway, itself.

In a statement to CityNews, the BC Wildfire Service says it is helping the Popkum Fire Department knock down the fire, with two initial attack crews and one resource officer.

The BCWS says the fire is about one hectare in size and was first spotted around 6:30 a.m. Monday.

“As the fire is very visible from Hwy 1, we recommend the public to check DriveBC.ca for any impacts to traffic,” the Wildfire Service said.

The fire is suspected to be human caused.

Meanwhile, the BCWS says fewer than a dozen new fires were spotted from Sunday into Monday morning.

According to the agency, there are almost 150 wildfires burning in the province, as of 9 a.m.

There are small fires near Terrace and Lytton, and an out-of-control blaze near Merritt that’s reached 10 hectares in size. Up north, near Prince George, there’s a blaze in the Ancient Forest Park, which has grown to almost 40 hectares.

Listen live to CityNews 1130 every 10 minutes on the ones for traffic updates. You can also follow us on X @CityNewsTraffic and subscribe to breaking news alerts sent directly to your inbox.