British | Second wildfire threatens Boston Bar area

(Boston Bar) A second out-of-control wildfire has prompted an evacuation order near Boston Bar, British Columbia, in an area already hard hit by another blaze that forced residents from their homes.

The Fraser Valley Regional District says it has changed an evacuation alert to an evacuation order for the Alpine Canyon area, located on the east bank of the Fraser River, north of Boston Bar, in response to the Ainslie Creek Fire.

The fire covers an estimated 88 square kilometers and is burning directly across the river from the Brunswick Creek Fire discovered two days earlier, on July 2.

The latter has expanded and now covers nearly 26 square kilometers, compared to 18 square kilometers last Tuesday.

Forest fire officials had warned of a risk of intensified fire activity due to gusts expected this week.

The Ministry of Emergency Management says hundreds of properties in the area are under evacuation orders or alerts, while a section of Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon has been closed.

These fires, believed to have been started by human activity, are among approximately 20 active fires in British Columbia.