‘The highway through hell’: B.C. motorist describes driving the Coquihalla amid the wildfires

B.C. resident Dawn Adamson said she never wants to repeat what it was like driving along the Coquihalla Highway Sunday night.

She was making her way from Kamloops to the Lower Mainland around 7 p.m. and drove right through the July Mountain wildfire.

The highway, a major route in the province, was shut down in both directions shortly after Adamson made it through.

“I guess the Coquihalla is known as the highway through hell and that’s exactly what it was last night,” she told Global News Monday.

0:57 ‘That’s unbelievable’: Coquihalla drivers shocked by size of wildfire shortly before highway closure

Adamson said she could see in the distance that there was a fire when she started travelling on the highway but around Larson Hill, she said the skies were red and flames could be seen right beside the highway.

“I could feel the whoosh, I could hear it. It was an incredibly scary time,” she added.

“I couldn’t believe it but there were fires alongside the highway for about 20 minutes of my drive until I hit about Britton Creek. The crosswinds were so heavy and predicted, as I understood it, that my car was being shifted from side to side. So clearly, embers were going everywhere.”

2:13 Wildfire closes major artery to Lower Mainland

1:14 Wildfire smoke darkens skies in B.C.

Adamson said the only warning that she saw was a sign saying not to stop on the highway and she had no intention of stopping.

“I was literally praying that my car would make it and I would have no issue,” she said.

2:06 Raging forest fires spark apocalyptic scenes across B.C. interior

She did not see any emergency personnel on the road but by the time she made it closer to Hope she saw vehicles on the other side being turned around.

“It was incredibly stressful. My adrenaline was pumping all the way down to Vancouver.”

“Until I got to the clear sky, I think I was holding my breath.”