Second wildfire triggers upgraded evacuation order near Boston Bar, B.C.

A second out-of-control wildfire has triggered an evacuation order near Boston Bar, B.C., already battered by another blaze that has forced people out of their homes.

The Fraser Valley Regional District says it has upgraded a previous evacuation alert to an order for the Canyon Alpine area on the east bank of the Fraser River, just north of Boston Bar, in response to the Ainslie Creek wildfire.

The blaze spans an estimated 88 square kilometres, burning just across the river from the Brunswick Creek fire discovered two days earlier on July 2.

That fire has grown to span almost 26 square kilometres, up from 18 square kilometres as of Tuesday.

Wildfire officials had been warning of the potential for increased fire activity due to gusty winds in the forecast this week.

The Emergency Management Ministry says hundreds of properties in the area are subject to evacuation orders or alerts, while a stretch of Highway 1 through the Fraser Canyon has been closed.

The fires, which are believed to have been sparked by human activity, are among about 20 active blazes across B.C.