Truck blaze along in B.C.’s Coquihalla Highway sets off wildfire, closes route

MERRITT, BRITISH COLUMBIA — The main highway linking British Columbia’s Lower Mainland to the Interior has been closed in both directions after a large fire in a semi-trailer set the forest alight.

RCMP say officers were called to the site in the northbound lanes of the Coquihalla Highway between Merritt and Hope just after 9 p.m. Monday.

Police say arriving officers found a fully engulfed trailer on the highway’s right shoulder, which then spread to start a wildfire.

The BC Wildfire Service was called in to stamp out the blaze, but the Coquihalla Highway remains closed for safety concerns.

The provincial DriveBC system says there is toxic material on the roadway and drivers are asked to divert to either Highway 1 or Highway 3.

The BC Wildfire Service says the fire alongside the highway is under control, meaning it’s not expect to spread beyond its current boundary.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2026.

The Canadian Press