Boston Bar Wildfire Grows to 43.3 Square Kilometers, Triggering Evacuations

Rapid Escalation of the Anderson Creek Fire

The Anderson Creek fire, first identified on Tuesday, has expanded rapidly. According to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS), the fire grew from an estimated 10 square kilometers (1,000 hectares) on Tuesday night to 43.3 square kilometers (4,332 hectares) by Wednesday morning. The BCWS reports that the blaze ignited beside Highway 1, just south of the community of Boston Bar, and spread rapidly upslope.

Fire conditions remain volatile. BCWS information officer Morgan Blois stated that the fire is currently estimated to be anywhere from 500 to 800 meters away from structures in Boston Bar. The service further noted that aggressive fire behaviour (fast-moving crown fire) continued into the night, leading officials to anticipate another challenging day on Wednesday due to hot and very dry conditions. Blois added that the service is expecting fairly extreme vigorous fire behaviour.

Evacuation Orders and Regional Impact

The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) has issued an urgent alert for remaining residents in Boston Bar to evacuate immediately. District board chair Patricia Ross described the situation as pretty frightening, noting that the fire’s speed makes it particularly dangerous.

There are still people that are refusing to leave. They absolutely must leave, Ross said. This moves so fast, it's nothing to fool around with.

Ross noted that it has been too unsafe to get more updates regarding structure loss, and she described the firefight as very difficult. Prior to the emergence of the Anderson Creek fire, Ross said there were about 450 properties in the regional district affected by evacuation orders and alerts, though she noted that not all of those properties had homes on them. Access to the area is significantly restricted; DriveBC reported that Highway 1 is closed in both directions for 41.2 kilometers between Anderson River Mainline and Jackass Summit. DriveBC advised that Highway 5 should be used as an alternate route.

Broader Wildfire Complex Conditions

The Anderson Creek fire is now part of a larger wildfire complex burning on both sides of the Fraser River. Alongside the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek fires, the total area affected has grown to about 234 square kilometers (23,438.3 hectares) as of Wednesday. All three are officially designated as wildfires of note. The BCWS categorizes these incidents as human-caused, which is how any wildfire not sparked by lightning is categorized.

Ground suppression efforts have been hampered by both the steep terrain and the intensity of the flames. On Tuesday, the BCWS determined that direct attack methods were unsafe for ground crews on the Brunswick Creek wildfire. Tactics are currently being “reassessedwhile structure crews engage in structure defence. The BCWS warned thateven light winds will increase fire activity and change fire behaviour rapidly, particularly in unburnt areas within the perimeter and where challenging terrain has limited suppression options.” Additionally, Blois noted that the Anderson Creek fire’s movement upslope has created a lot of energy, which has increased the fire behaviour on the Brunswick Creek wildfire.

Ongoing Challenges Across British Columbia

The situation near Boston Bar is part of a wider provincial crisis, with approximately 89 wildfires burning across British Columbia as of Wednesday afternoon. While the immediate focus remains on the Fraser Valley, other regions are also managing high-priority fires, including two wildfires of note near Kimberley in southeast B.C. The Tower Creek 2 wildfire was burning at 2.5 square kilometers (250 hectares) and the Matthew Creek fire was burning an area of 5.67 square kilometers (567 hectares) earlier Wednesday. The wildfire service reported that activity was subdued overnight on both of these fires, but it expects activity to pick up in the afternoon during the warmest and driest part of the day. The City of Kimberley and the Regional District of East Kootenay have issued evacuation alerts due to these fires.