Coquihalla Highway reopens between Hope and Merritt after trailer fire

COQUIHALLA — The main highway linking British Columbia’s Lower Mainland to the Interior has reopened after being closed for much of Tuesday because of a semi-trailer fire that set off a forest blaze.

The provincial Ministry of Transportation’s DriveBC information system says the Coquihalla Highway between Hope and Merritt reopened around 7 p.m. Tuesday.

DriveBC said on social media platform X at the time that crews were continuing environmental cleanup at the site, asking motorists to be cautious as they head to the Interior.

The highway was closed Monday night after a semi-trailer was fully engulfed by a fire, and the vehicle then stopped on the highway’s right shoulder which sparked a blaze on nearby wooded lands.