Firefighters battling a wildfire northwest of Lytton, British Columbia, say there was minimal fire activity overnight, but they are watching for wind gusts Saturday afternoon.
The Nohomin Creek wildfire has burned at least six residences since it started Thursday, with dozens of people still under evacuation orders in the area.
Authorities in nearby Lillooet told CBC News that 95 people were currently registered to support evacuees, up from 80 the previous day.
The fire is located on the west side of the Fraser River, 1.7 kilometers outside the village, which was almost destroyed by fire a year ago.
A photo taken by fire crews shows flames on the west side of the Fraser River on Thursday. (Contributed by Daniel Mundall)
And while it continues to burn over 15 square kilometers — an area four times the size of Stanley Park — the British Columbia Wildfire Service says there has been minimal overnight growth.
“The fire behavior was pretty minimal as well,” said Nicole Bonet, fire information officer, Saturday morning. “Low to the ground, smoldering…which is really nice to see.”
Bonnet says dozens of firefighters, including from the Lytton First Nation, are battling the blaze using sprinkler systems and air crews.
She said crews will monitor for wind activity later Saturday afternoon. Crews are also monitoring the rain forecast, although Bonnett noted that if the rain is minimal, it won’t have a major impact on current fire activity.
“There was a very small amount of rain, but that didn’t help the firefighters at all,” Lytton First Nation Deputy Chief John Haugen said Saturday afternoon. “We’re just hoping there’s no extreme wind activity.”
Haugen said up to 10 buildings were gutted by the fire, including an empty cabin overnight Saturday.
“You have mixed emotions,” he said. “You have people who are doing everything they can to help people, and then you have people who can’t go back home.
The cause of the fire, which broke out at 12:45 a.m. Thursday, remains unknown.
The Lytton First Nation has issued evacuation orders for multiple reserves as a result of the fire. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District also issued an evacuation order for part of Constituency I.
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