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Coquihalla Highway reopens between Hope and Merritt after trailer fire

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 22 Apr, 2026 11:53 AM

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.

The BC Wildfire Service was called in to suppress the blaze, which it says is now under control.

It is unclear what sparked the fire.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward

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