📵 Do not stop on the highway to take photos of a wildfire

Sightseeing at a wildfire is dangerous and gets in the way of the response. Vehicles parked on shoulders or stopped in travel lanes block evacuation...

Sightseeing at a wildfire is dangerous and gets in the way of the response. Vehicles parked on shoulders or stopped in travel lanes block evacuation routes, slow fire-suppression equipment, and create rear-end collision hazards as drivers brake suddenly to look. Smoke can shift across the highway in seconds, dropping visibility to nothing. Embers carried on wind can ignite roadside grass and your vehicle’s engine compartment. Fire authorities across the West ask the public to keep moving through fire-affected corridors and to obey all signage and direction from police, RCMP, sheriffs, conservation officers and wildfire crews. If you want to follow the situation, use an official wildfire dashboard — such as the BC Wildfire Service, Alberta Wildfire or InciWeb in the US — from a safe location. Public safety closures sometimes extend several kilometres back from the active fire to keep curious drivers away — those closures exist for a reason. Driving through a fire zone is also strongly discouraged because emergency vehicles need clear corridors. Get yourself out, then check the news from a coffee shop in the next town.

Source: BC Wildfire Service

Last reviewed 2026-05-02.

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