Construction is getting underway on new passing lanes on Highway 5 between Barriere and Little Fort, near Darfield, improving safety along this stretch of the Yellowhead Highway north of Kamloops.

With no relief in sight in the weather forecast, B.C.’s wildfire emergency is expected to continue over the next few weeks. To ensure that adequate resources are available to continue in the fight, more international personnel are on the way.

BC Parks, in co-ordination with the BC Wildfire Service and Recreation Sites and Trails BC, will close backcountry access to specific areas of Wells Gray Provincial Park effective at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 5, 2017. This step is being taken to help protect public safety.

The ministry is advising motorists to plan ahead, check real-time traffic conditions on DriveBC.ca and expect delays on the Coquihalla Highway this upcoming B.C. Day long weekend.

As sustained hot and dry weather continues to exacerbate an already busy summer wildfire season, additional firefighting resources from the United States and Mexico have been engaged to assist the BC Wildfire Service.

Smoke from a large fire burning in Washington State has been highly visible in the Penticton Fire Zone and in much of southern B.C. recently. The smoke is expected to be seen in the area for the next few days. For more information about wildfires burning in the U.S. please visit: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/

The Elephant Hill wildfire’s west flank, to the east of the village of Clinton, has proved an ongoing challenge to wildfire suppression efforts over the past week due to sustained hot weather and variable winds.

Due to cooler temperatures and lower fire danger ratings in the northeastern portion of the Cariboo Fire Centre, BC Parks – in consultation with the BC Wildfire Service – reopened Bowron Lake Provincial Park for public use on July 28, 2017.

A return to warm and dry conditions has resulted in increased fire behaviour in many parts of the Elephant Hill wildfire, which is burning north of Ashcroft and Cache Creek and east of Clinton.