Wildfire near Agassiz forces closure of Highway 7, Sasquatch Provincial Park

Serious wildfire activity has made its way to the Lower Mainland.

A wildfire near Agassiz has forced the closure of a provincial park and a key thoroughfare in the region.

The 140-hectare High Creek wildfire is burning about 10 kilometres from Agassiz, above Highway 7, and was zero per cent contained on Saturday.

The fire has been upgraded to a “wildfire of note,” one of 39 such large wildfires burning on Saturday.

View image in full screen

BC Parks says Sasquatch Provincial Park is closed as of noon on Saturday as a result, and all campers and other park visitors have been asked to vacate the area.

Highway 7 was also closed in both directions between Chowat Road and Jonson Slough, to allow crew and aircraft movement.

Get breaking National news

For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen.

Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

WATCH: Wildfire concerns in northwest B.C.

1:55 Wildfire concerns in northwest B.C.

DriveBC has no estimate for when the road will be reopened, and drivers are advised to take Highway 9 to Highway 1 as an alternate route.

The BC Wildfire Service had 25 firefighters and three helicopters on scene as of Saturday, and are building helipads to improve access.

As of Saturday, no structures were threatened by the fire.

The fire is believed to be human-caused.