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The Ainslie Creek fire is the larger of the two, with an estimated size of more 88 square kilometres, while the Brunswick Creek fire is more than 26 square kilometres.James MacDonald/The Globe and Mail
Officials say strong winds through British Columbia’s Fraser Canyon northeast of Vancouver could further fuel two wildfires that are burning out of control.
The B.C. Wildfire Service says the Brunswick Creek and Ainslie Creek wildfires burning near Boston Bar, B.C., measure more than 114 square kilometres and have forced residents to evacuate from 222 properties.
Two evacuation alerts that warn other residents to be ready to leave at short notice now cover 188 nearby properties, including the community of Boston Bar itself.
Second out-of-control wildfire triggers evacuations in Boston Bar, B.C.
The fires have forced the closure of the Trans-Canada Highway, and while the two fires are burning on either side of the Fraser River, the service now calls the fires the Brunswick Complex.
Wildfire officials say high winds and hot dry conditions fuelled both fires and more wind could further increase fire behaviour, despite a forecast for lower temperatures.
The Ainslie Creek fire is the larger of the two, with an estimated size of more 88 square kilometres, while the Brunswick Creek fire is more than 26 square kilometres, and both are believed to be human caused.
The two fires are among about 20 active blazes burning across B.C., but they are listed as the only fires of note.