Alaska Highway ‘anticipated’ to be closed overnight due to Summit Lake wildfire
The Alaska Highway (Highway 97) has closed to traffic this evening because of the Summit Lake wildfire.
FORT NELSON, B.C. — The Alaska Highway has closed to traffic this evening because of the Summit Lake blaze.
According to a notice from Public Services and Procurement Canada, Highway 97 is now shut and is “anticipated” to be closed between junction 77 (kilometre 485) and the Toad River (kilometre 648) until the morning of June 7th due to strong winds impacting the wildfire.
According to the BC Wildfire Service (BCWS), the fire has burned 8,354 hectares so far.
It initially sparked because of a lightning strike, BCWS says.
The blaze has prompted the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality (NRRM) to issue an evacuation order and extend its evacuation alert for an area along the Alaska Highway.
This comes as BCWS expects high winds and warmer temperatures to drive “extreme” wildfire behaviour over this weekend (June 6th to 8th).
For more updates about the status of Highway 97, visit DriveBC.
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