The BC Wildfire Service has upgraded a blaze in the Fraser Valley to a "wildfire of note" and is warning campers to leave the Harrison Lake area as roads are closed ahead of the long weekend.
The 65-hectare Bear Creek fire is the first fire of note in B.C. since July 9, when the Izman Creek blaze near Lytton lost that status.
The designation is reserved for fires that are "creating an increased level of interest."
Other significant fires have triggered evacuations this week, after high temperatures in the southern Interior triggered heat warnings from Environment Canada.
The Drought Hill fire near Peachland in the Okanagan set off tactical evacuations of about 400 properties on Wednesday, with another 225 on evacuation alert and residents being told to get ready to leave at short notice.
The 650-hectare Cantilever Bar fire near Lytton also continues to burn out of control, causing the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and local First Nations communities to issue evacuation alerts this week.
There are about 70 active wildfires across the province, with 20 starting in the last 24 hours.
Environment Canada says temperatures broke daily records on Wednesday in Prince George, Mackenzie, Quesnel, Dawson Creek and Penticton, where the temperature of 36.8 C broke a 95-year record.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 31, 2025.
Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press
