The Coquihalla Highway remains closed between Hope and Merritt Thursday evening because of a fast-spreading wildfire that has leapt up to the roadway.
Some drivers couldn’t believe how close the flames were as they sped through the area just before Highway Five was closed Wednesday.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO 1130 NEWSRADIO VANCOUVER LIVE!Andrea Chambers was among them, posting dramatic video of the afternoon sunshine quickly obscured by thick smoke, plunging her vehicle into a fiery twilight.
“It’s like I’m going into this dark hole,” Chambers described. “It’s really, actually very creepy. The fire is really bad, it’s right there.”
The video shows flames ballooning up trees beside the pavement as embers rain down onto the vehicle’s windshield, the panic rising in Chamber’s voice.
“They’ve got to close this highway down. This is nuts, you can’t even see,” she said. “Thank god I’m through that.”
The Mine Creek Fire is burning out of control, spreading to 19 square kilometres since Monday near the Coquihalla Summit.
A nearby property is under evacuation order, and an evacuation alert covers a much greater area, including the Coquihalla Lakes Lodge and 85 properties, as of Thursday morning.
The town of Merritt is outside the alert area, but Mayor Mike Goetz said the smoke plume was visible and warned that winds can change quickly.
He urged residents to be prepared.
“If you have a 72-hour grab-and-go bag, get it ready,” Goetz told 1130 NewsRadio.
“Get some gas in your vehicle, get your documents ready. We have been fairly lucky through this year. We are coming into the last days of summer, so hopefully we will see some rain here soon. But these things have rapidly taken off in the last three days.”
The fire was first discovered on Monday near the old Coquihalla Highway toll booths.
By Wednesday evening, it had grown to 483 hectares.
Drivers are advised to use Highway 1 or Highway 3 as alternate routes.