Lytton residents leave everything behind to leave their burning village

Mayor John Boulderman said the rapidly spreading wildfire in the village threatened infrastructure and the safety of residents.

This is very serious. The whole village is on fire. Fifteen minutes passed between the first sign of smoke and flames everywhere.

John Boulderman asked all residents to leave Lytton and move to a nearby community See Boston. A shelter has been set up in Merit on the east side of the village, where other residents have taken refuge Lilloot, North.

At the first Nation Band Council office, the fire measured three or four feet. I walked through the village and saw only smoke, flames and fallen power cables, Mayor Report.

Late that night, from Wednesday to Thursday, the eviction order was extended to residents of 87 properties north of the village of Lytton. (New window).

Videos taken by residents fleeing the scene showed numerous infrastructures in the fire and flames.

Earlier this week, the village of Lytton, about 260 kilometers from Vancouver, broke Canada’s heat record again. Tuesday’s all-time high of 49.6 C.

By the time it spread to Lytton, one on George Road, firefighters were already battling two wildfires.

Provincial fire spokeswoman Erica Berg said the evacuation order was issued an hour after the fire broke out. Teams already mobilized in other fields have been re-appointed to intervene.

On June 20, 2021, firefighters marched towards the George Road fire. The fire spread to the village of Kimu Lytton, forcing all its residents to evacuate on June 30.

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Photo: BC Wildfire Service

Edith Loring-Kuhanga, who works at Lyon’s Stein Valley Nalakapamax School, fled to Lilloot in a trailer with about 100 villagers.

This is amazing. Our whole village was swallowed up, He said on CBC radio on Wednesday night.

Ms Loring-Kuhanga said she was first asked to set up a meeting center for locals at the school, only to find out that their stay was not possible. Many left the scene, leaving behind animals and valuables.

There are a lot of people in shock. We are all in shock, Said.

According to the DrivePC road system, the fire caused the closure of the highways north and south of Lytton. At 6 p.m., Highway 1 between Boston Bar and Spence Bridge was closed, while Highway 12 from Lillout to Highway 1 was closed.

Many uncontrolled wildfires

While the heat wave continues throughout much of British Columbia, firefighters have been battling fires inside the province since Tuesday night.

Lake Uncontrolled Sparks Lake, located 15 kilometers northwest of Kamloops Lake, had an area of ​​40 square kilometers as of Wednesday afternoon.

Eighteen properties were evicted in the Thomson-Nicola Regional District. Notices of evictions were issued for 150 properties in Testman, Red Lake, Trankville Fence and Widget Lake areas, and 298 properties in Loon and Hihiam Lake areas.

Marshall Potts and Joe-Anne Behrell, who live about a mile from the fire, were ordered to leave the area Tuesday afternoon.

They loaded the goods into their vehicle on Monday evening, knowing they would have to leave at short notice.

The couple is staying with their family with their two dogs at Pinanthan Lake, about 75 kilometers away.

It was so stressful, Mr. Behrell said. Being ignorant and wanting to come back to check if everything is right is really huge.

They kept the doors open so the animals would run away if the fire came too close.

On Wednesday morning, they had no news of the condition of their property.

Located 15 kilometers northwest of Lake Kamloops, Lake Sparks Wildfire now covers an area of ​​40 square kilometers.

Photo: BC Wildfire Service

The BC Wildfire Service 56 firefighters, 10 helicopters and 2 heavy equipment have been mobilized to fight the fire.

Helicopters struggled to withstand the heat on Tuesday, fire information officer Madison Smith said. In addition, some of them landed as their engines overheated.

The uncontrolled McKee Creek fire on Tuesday burned 23 kilometers north of Lilot and reached an area of ​​50 square kilometers. Twenty-four firefighters, 4 helicopters and 5 heavy equipment tried to bring him under control.

Highway 97 closure

All three fires in the Prince George area were out of control Wednesday. All three were caused by lightning. Two covers an area of ​​22 square kilometers and the third 48 square kilometers.

British Columbia Fire Department Information Officer Sharon Nickel said Highway 97 north of the Buckinghorse River, 20 kilometers from the city of Trutsch, was closed to protect the public from the Pink Mountain wildfire in northern British Columbia.

The highway will remain closed at this location until further notice., Explained Sharon Nickel. We will have staff on site to constantly assess the situation.

The fire spread over an area of ​​30 square kilometers on Wednesday.

Ms. Nickel, throughout the area surrounded by the Prince George Fire Station, said the weather was very dry and she expected these conditions to continue.

The possibility of lightning in the forecast

High temperatures are expected to continue inside the province this week as the air in Vancouver cools Thermal dome Moving east. Kamloops and Kelona are expected to reach temperatures of around 30 to 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days.

Lightning struck Wednesday morning in Vancouver Island and northern British Columbia, where meteorologist Johanna Waxstoff said the risk of fire was high.

These vulnerabilities will have to move eastward and new fires will start, he said.

Despite the risk of wildfires, the landscape remains open

BC John Hawkings, director of recreation sites and tracks at the Ministry of Forests, said Canada’s long weekend will not be closed in the background despite the risk of fire.

Closing the forest is not as easy as setting up a fenceMr Hawkings said on the show on Wednesday Daytime South D CBC.

We have thousands of amusement sites and bike parks and places where people go out to enjoy it, which is a healthy activity., He continued. Closing the interior is a serious move.

Courtesy of Courtney Dixon, Daybreak Kamloops and Daybreak South