Alaska Highway Closure Advisory -Now Opened

Alaska Highway Closure Advisory:

 Last Updated: July 9th, 2015 : 2:02PM

Photo by Lakota Anderson

Alaska Highway Reopened as of 8:30am

The Northern Rockies has been informed that the section of the Alaska Highway (Mile 250-260) that had been closed last night due to the Big Beaver Creek fire has been re-opened this morning.  Please note, there will be traffic control and piloting through the area.  The area is still very smoky and visibility is limited, so please drive with care.

FORT NELSON -The Alaska Highway is now closed to all traffic due to aggressive fire behaviour observed on the Big Beaver Creek wildfire this afternoon. The highway is closed between 386 km (Mile 250) and 418 km (Mile 260).

Strong winds in the area have significantly increased fire behaviour (Rank 4/5) on the Big Beaver Creek wildfire. This fire has crossed the Alaska Highway and is now over 250 hectares in size.

Airtankers were called in to assist ground crews; however, both air support and firefighters were pulled off due to extreme fire activity and safety concerns. Visibility remains an issue and continues to challenge wildfire personnel.

The Alaska Highway will remain closed in both directions until it is safe for the public to travel through the area. Smoke will be visible for surrounding areas.

There are currently more than thirty fires burning in the Fort Nelson zone, with more than forty fires actively burning in the Prince George Fire Centre area. Given the current fire situation and the IIhigh” to lI_extreme” fire danger rating for the area, additional resources will be arriving to assist with suppression efforts. Initial attack crews have been put on standby to assist with new daily fire starts.

If you see smoke or flame, report it by calling 1800-663-5555 or *5555 on your cell phone.

Quick facts:

Rank 4 fire intensity is highly vigorous surface fire or torching.

Rank 5 fire intensity is extremely vigorous surface fire or active crown fire.

For the latest information on current wildfire activity, burning restrictions, road closures and air quality advisories, go to http://www.bcwildfire.ca

You can also follow the latest wildfire news on:

Twitter at [http://twitter.com!BCGovFirelnfo]http://twitter.com!BCGovFirelnfo

Facebook at http://facebook.com/BCForestFirelnfo

 

 Original Story

Due to the strong winds, and the intensity of the Beaver Creek Wildfire Fire which is approaching the Alaska Highway at Mile 250 (km 402)it has become necessary to close the Alaska Highway to all traffic approximately 30 km north of Prophet River effective immediately.

 

More information will be forthcoming once it is available.

 

 

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