Independent BC fire resource hub. Not an official emergency service. If life or property is at immediate risk, call 911. To report a wildfire call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555.

Home / Blog / Official-source travel update

Official-source travel update · Published August 12, 2026

DriveBC wildfire road closures to check before travelling today

BCFires source card: DriveBC wildfire road check.

DriveBC's public Open511 feed was still showing multiple wildfire-related closures and travel advisories in B.C. when BCFires captured it on August 12. The practical takeaway: do not rely on screenshots or yesterday's route plan; click through to DriveBC and EmergencyInfoBC before you leave.

Verdict: official travel and emergency sources support a daily road-check update. This is not a new evacuation order; it is a source-card pointing readers to current DriveBC road events and EmergencyInfoBC evacuation pages.
Emergency note: If life or property is at immediate risk, call 911. To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555 or *5555 on a cellphone.

High-impact DriveBC wildfire road events in the capture

The table below is a snapshot of selected official DriveBC/Open511 events. Conditions can change quickly, and DriveBC remains the live source for status, detours and next-update times.

Road / locationDriveBC updatedSeverityDriveBC wording captured
Highway 1: Toll Rd to Aspen Rd2026-08-11T18:07:43-07:00MAJORHighway 1 (TransCanada Highway), in both directions. There is a wildfire between Toll Rd and Aspen Rd for 38.8 km (Yale to 28 km south of Jackass Mountain Summit). Road closed. Highway 1 closed due to wildfire burning north of Hells Gate in close proximity to the highway. Southbound closure south of Boston Bar. Northbound closure starts in Yale. Watch for crews and signage. Use Highway 3 or Highway 5 as alternate route. Next update time Wed Aug 12 at 4:00 PM PDT.
Highway 97: Highway 972026-08-11T15:29:10-07:00MAJORWildfire. Closed. Watch for traffic control. Estimated time of opening not available. Detour: Commercial traffic via Hwy 33. Local traffic via Penticton to Hwy 33; Carmi Ave, Beaverdell Rd, 201FSR, Okanagan Falls Rd, McCulloch Rd. Evacuation info via Emergency Info BC. More info: https://www.drivebc.ca/advisories/hwy97-summerland-fire.
Highway 97: Loon Lake Rd to North Bonaparte Rd2026-08-10T19:01:01-07:00MAJORHighway 97 (Cariboo Connector), in both directions. There is a wildfire between Loon Lake Rd and North Bonaparte Rd for 50.2 km (17 km south of Clinton to 70 Mile House). Road closed. Detour available via Highway 1 through Kamloops, to Highway 5 and Highway 24 https://www.Drivebc.Ca/advisories/hwy97-clintoncariboo. Next update time Fri Aug 14 at 12:00 PM PDT. Last updated Mon Aug 10 at 7:01 PM PDT.
Westside Rd: Main St to Highway 97 North2026-08-11T13:57:38-07:00MAJORWestside Rd, in both directions. There is a wildfire between Main St and Highway 97 North for 48.4 km (11 to 60 km east of West Kelowna). Road closed. North of 4400 block of Westside Rd -- CLOSED in both directions Road is OPEN up to Shelter Cove Alternate route via Highway 97. Next update time Wed Aug 12 at 8:00 AM PDT. Last updated Tue Aug 11 at 1:57 PM PDT.
Other Roads: Silver Skagit Rd 6km mark to USA/Canada Border2026-08-11T18:04:59-07:00MAJORSilver Skagit Rd, in both directions. There is a wildfire between Silver Skagit Rd 6km mark and USA/Canada Border. Road closed. Closure point is approximately 6km south of Flood Hope Rd due to Provincial Parks closure caused by Hozomeen Mountain Wildfire. Silver Lake remains open. Ross Lake Campground and Skagit Valley Park closed. Next update time Wed Aug 12 at 3:00 PM PDT. Last updated Tue Aug 11 at 6:04 PM PDT.
Other Roads: Clinton to Mowhich Road2026-08-11T17:18:56-07:00MAJORPavilion-Clinton Rd, in both directions. There is a wildfire between Clinton and Mowhich Road. Road closed. Road closed to all traffic except emergency vehicles. Next update time Fri Aug 14 at 12:00 PM PDT. Last updated Tue Aug 11 at 5:18 PM PDT.
Big Bar Reaction Ferry: at Big Bar Reaction Ferry2026-08-11T12:30:58-07:00MAJORBig Bar Reaction Ferry. There is a wildfire at Big Bar Reaction Ferry (Big Bar Reaction Ferry). Ferry route closed. Next update time Wed Aug 12 at 12:00 PM PDT. Last updated Tue Aug 11 at 12:30 PM PDT.
Highway 16: Maintenance Boundary SA25 to Kitwanga2026-08-10T08:48:15-07:00MINORHighway 16 (Yellowhead Highway), in both directions. There is a wildfire between Maintenance Boundary SA25 and Kitwanga for 42.7 km (17 km west of Gitsegukla to 23 km west of Cedarvale). Single lane alternating traffic. Expect delays. Watch for and obey traffic controllers regarding Coyote Creek Wildfire R41118. Next update time Mon Aug 24 at 2:00 PM PDT. Last updated Mon Aug 10 at 8:48 AM PDT.

How to use this safely

  • Open DriveBC before travelling, especially for Highway 1, Highway 97, Westside Road, Silver Skagit Road, Big Bar / Clinton-area roads and other wildfire corridors.
  • For evacuation orders and alerts, use EmergencyInfoBC and the affected local or First Nation government page. Road closures and evacuation boundaries are not the same thing.
  • If smoke or fire behaviour changes while you are on the road, follow police, traffic-control and wildfire-crew directions even if a map has not yet updated.
  • Avoid stopping in active wildfire corridors unless directed; some DriveBC events explicitly warn about no-stopping zones and wildfire crews working in the area.

EmergencyInfoBC pages visible in the current-emergencies list

EmergencyInfoBC's homepage showed many wildfire evacuation-information pages in the current-emergencies list when captured. The first visible entries included:

Sources and capture trail