Evacuation alert ends in Boston Bar, B.C., after weeks of threat from wildfire

BOSTON BAR – A series of evacuation alerts has been lifted for communities in British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon that have been under threat from wildfires for more than a month.

The Fraser Valley Regional District has given the all-clear for properties in and around Boston Bar, including the North Bend, Fishblue Lake and the Canyon Alpine areas, due to improved conditions at the Brunswick complex of wildfires.

The fires had forced the evacuation of Boston Bar, a community of about 200 residents roughly 250 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, on July 16, and the order stayed in place for weeks until it was downgraded to an alert in early August.

The regional district says it has now cancelled the alert following advice from the BC Wildfire Service, although both the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek fires are still considered out of control, together spanning more than 700 square kilometres.

The district says residents may see smoke and fire activity as crews continue to work in the region.

It says a stretch of Highway 1 south of Boston Bar remains closed, while property owners with private wells need to contact Fraser Health for testing before using water.

An update from BC Wildfire Service says lightning moved through the central part of the province on Tuesday night, bringing the potential for new fire starts that may initially go unnoticed, especially in Northwest and Prince George fire centres. 

The service says hot and dry weather is lingering across much of B.C.

It says lightning-caused holdover fires can smoulder undetected for days or weeks before hotter, drier and windier conditions trigger them to become more active.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2026.