Video from the scene shows people fleeing in vehicles as dense smoke blankets the main road and wild winds shake the trees
David Carrigg, Mike Raptis
A wildfire spread through the village of Lytton on Wednesday, prompting an evacuation order for its 300 residents (Credit: 2 Rivers Remix Society)Photo by 2 Rivers Remix Society /PNG
Article content
Lytton, B.C., has gone from Canadas hottest location to its most dangerous as a nearby wildfire spread to the village on Wednesday evening leading to a mass evacuation and catastrophic destruction of homes, businesses and vehicles.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Mayor Jan Polderman ordered all residents to evacuate immediately due to a fire event within the village of 300 at around 6 p.m. This came a day after the village posted a Canadian record 49.6 C as a heatwave gripped the province.
The order stated because of the potential danger to life and safety, the Village of Lytton has issued an evacuation order for all properties in the downtown and surrounding areas.
All residents are advised to leave the community and go to a safe location, the order states.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Video from the scene shows people fleeing in vehicles as dense smoke blankets the main road and wild winds shake the trees. There were several buildings on fire including residences and businesses as well as vehicles, including RVs.
At 9:30 p.m., MLA for Fraser Nicola Jackie Tegart reported the damage to the village was catastrophic and that she was waiting for a briefing from the B.C. Wildfire Service. Lytton does have its own small department but there was no way they could control the situation.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Erica Berg, a provincial fire information officer, said the evacuation order was issued about an hour after the blaze began but she did not know the size of it.
Were in intense response mode so our main priority is getting resources to the area, she said.
Scott Hildebrand, chief administrative officer of the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, said the evacuation order was issued as soon as possible.
It didnt matter because people were already fleeing, he said, adding smoke blanketed the area within minutes and structures were burning as residents left.
A wildfire spread through the village of Lytton on Wednesday, prompting an evacuation order for its 300 residents.Photo by 2 Rivers Remix Society /PNG
Hotel rooms around the area were already booked by people seeking relief from the heat wave and by those getting away for Canada Day as most COVID-19 restrictions in the province were lifted, as well as by crews working on a pipeline project, Hildebrand said.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
He said about 1,000 people in First Nations communities may also be ordered to evacuate, but it was hard to get in contact with their local governments.
It happened so quickly that were struggling to connect with everybody because power is down, cellphone lines are down. Its a tough situation.
Hildebrand said a reception centre has been set up in Kamloops but some people may have gone to Merritt or Boston Bar.
That direction was the safest, I think. Thats part of our struggle now is that we dont have people registered and we dont understand exactly where everybody went.
READ MORE
B.C. Wildfires Map 2021: Updates on fire locations, evacuation alerts/orders
B.C. Wildfires 2021: Evacuation orders, alerts issued for B.C. communities because of spreading fires
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
B.C. heat wave: Wildfire risk pushed to dangerously high levels
Lytton smashed the national heat record on Tuesday, recording 49.6 C as a wildfire burned near.
Jo-Anne Beharrell and Marshall Potts were ordered from their home on Tuesday, a day before the latest evacuation alert.
They first spotted a wildfire around 5 p.m. on Monday from their kitchen window when it was about 1.5 kilometres from their front yard.
It looked like, you know, a small brush fire but we knew there was a problem, Potts said in an interview Wednesday evening from Pinantan Lake, just outside of Kamloops where the couple are staying with family.
Beharrell said the heat wave has made the area very dry, very dusty.
Im telling you it was like being in the desert, she said.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
They drove back to the village Wednesday afternoon to check on their friends and neighbours.
Theres a massive, massive white cloud over the whole area, Beharrell said.
The smoke is in various colors. It definitely feels dystopian, thats for sure. It definitely feels apocalyptic.
Highway One is closed between Boston Bar and Spences Bridge.
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
The first major wildfire of the season was reported two weeks ago seven kilometres south of Lytton alongside Highway One at George Road and while managed over the course of several days using helicopters and ground crews it re-erupted and is now classified as out of control and covering 20,000 hectares.
There was also a small fire reported on Tuesday just north of the George Road fire and they may have merged.
The Lytton Indian Band are a member of the Nlakapamux Tribal Council.
More to come .
with files from Canadian Press
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Not good. This is the last image from the Lytton weather station webcam before it went off line around 540 pm local. Last weather report from Lytton was at 541 pm with a temperature of 37C and winds gusting to 67 kmh #BCFirespic.twitter.com/imM0VH5aeD
Rob’s Obs (@robsobs) July 1, 2021
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
Share this article in your social network
Advertisement
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We have enabled email notificationsyou will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.