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Fast-Moving Fires Force Boston Bar Evacuation as B.C. Deploys Drone-Controlled Burns

Drought, heat and lightning have heightened fire risk and driven officials to seek more federal funding for prevention.

The B.C. Wildfire Service used drones for the first time in July 2026 to do controlled ignitions in the battle against the Brunswick Creek complex of wildfires.
The wildfire burning near Hell's Gate has closed Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon.
The Matthew Creek wildfire outside Kimberley, B.C., is seen in this July 19, 2026, handout photo provided by the B.C. Wildfire Service. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout-BC Wildfire Service (Mandatory Credit)
The Brunswick Creek Wildfire burns close to Boston Bar, British Columbia, Canada, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. Photographer: James MacDonald

Overview

  • A new, fast-moving wildfire that ignited south of Boston Bar on Tuesday prompted an immediate evacuation order for anyone remaining in the township and closed Highway 1 for northbound escape routes.
  • The Brunswick Creek and adjacent Ainslie Creek blazes remain among the largest, with recent growth triggering multiple evacuation orders along the Fraser Canyon and an evacuee reception centre opened in Kamloops.
  • Crews are building heavy-equipment containment lines to protect Kimberley, where the entire city has been placed on evacuation alert as firefighters shore up defences against nearby Matthew Creek and related fires.
  • The BC Wildfire Service said it completed Canada’s first drone ignition on the Brunswick Creek complex using a plastic-sphere dispenser to start precise controlled burns while observation drones with infrared cameras monitored the operation to improve safety and control.
  • Officials say about 182 new starts were recorded in the past week, many from lightning, with roughly 80–90 fires still active and drought-driven low stream flows raising risks to water supplies, fish and regional firefighting resources while the province seeks federal investment for prevention.