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Apr 22, 2026 6:20 PM - Connect Newsroom - Ramandeep Kaur with files from The Canadian Press
The Coquihalla Highway has reopened between Hope and Merritt after a semi-trailer fire forced a closure for much of Tuesday, according to the provincial government.
DriveBC, the Ministry of Transportation’s traveller information service, said the route reopened at about 7 p.m. Tuesday. In a post on the social media platform X, the agency said environmental cleanup was ongoing and advised motorists to use caution when travelling through the area.
The highway was փակ Monday night after a semi-trailer became fully engulfed in flames and came to a stop on the right shoulder. The fire spread to nearby wooded land, prompting a response from the BC Wildfire Service.
According to the wildfire service, crews brought the blaze under control. The cause of the initial vehicle fire has not been confirmed.
The Coquihalla Highway is a key transportation corridor linking British Columbia’s Lower Mainland with Interior regions, carrying commercial traffic and travellers between major population centres.
