A British Columbia village that was devastated by a wildfire in 2021 is now under an evacuation order as a fast-growing wildfire threatens the area again.
Lytton made international headlines last year when a fire engulfed the town, destroying most homes and businesses. The fire broke out days after the village recorded record summer temperatures of 49.6C.
In the months that followed, some residents returned and began the slow process of rebuilding. But on Friday morning, the British Columbia Wildfire Service said the Nohomin Creek fire was out of control and had doubled in size since Thursday night, growing to 500 hectares. At least 50 residents in Lytton were ordered to evacuate, as were several reserves within the Lytton First Nation.
“We are prepared in case the unthinkable happens again,” Lytton resident Tricia Thorpe wrote on Facebook. She and her husband rebuilt their house after it was destroyed in a fire last year. They intend to stay after installing a sprinkler system designed to protect homes from wildfires and confident the fire will not jump the Fraser River.
The fire is burning on the west bank of the river, opposite Lytton. Homes on the west bank of the river, part of the Lytton First Nation reserve, were largely untouched by the 2021 fire.
“We have three elders who are in the direct line of this fire and we are working to make sure they are safe and that we can put the fire out as soon as possible,” John Haugen, deputy chief of the Lytton First Nation told reporters . “We’re experiencing another fire… in the Hell Gate area. We have to be prepared for a lot of things on really short notice.”
“The events of 2021 and the impact on the village of Lytton and the Lytton First Nation are at the forefront of our minds,” Rob Schweitzer, director of operations for the Kamloops Fire Center, told reporters.
Helicopters and another 60 firefighters are expected to arrive in the area on Friday.
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