Image Credit: Facebook / Cariboo Wildfires Information and Safety

By Simon Little / Global BC

Wildfire

Lytton evacuated as wildfire rips through community

Jun 30, 2021 | 7:18 PM

LYTTON, B.C. — Officials ordered the evacuation of the community of Lytton, B.C., Wednesday evening, just one day after the village shattered the record for highest temperature ever recorded in Canada for three consecutive days.

An evacuation order signed by Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman described a “fire event located within the village of Lytton,” which was “threatening structures and the safety of residents.”

About 250 people live in Lytton. Evacuated residents have been directed to Spences Bridge about 30 minutes away.

The BC Wildfire Service said the flames that have swept into the community were the result of a new fire, not the 350-hectare George Road fire burning south of the village.

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Crews with the BC Wildfire Service as well as municipal fire departments from Merritt, Kamloops and Boston Bar were deployed.

Pictures and video posted to social media showed thick smoke clogging the community, and several buildings were reported to be on fire.

WATCH: (Video Credit: Nanette Phillips-Smith)

DriveBC said Highway 1 was closed in both directions between Old Boston Bar Road and Junction Highway 8. Drivers were told to detour via Highway 8 or Highway 5.

Properties in two other B.C. communities were under evacuation orders Wednesday as wildfires flared up amid a record-breaking heat wave.

Officials with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued evacuation orders for 136 properties in the Bonaparte Plateau and Copper Desert Country areas northwest of Kamloops due to the Sparks Lake fire, which has grown to an estimated 4,000 hectares (40 square kilometres).

Nearly 450 additional properties in the Deadman, Red Lake, Tranquille Valley, Vidette Lake, Loon Lake and Hihium Lake areas were under evacuation alerts.

The BC Wildfire Service said 56 firefighters and 10 helicopters were working the fire, which is suspected to be human caused and was generating smoke visible from Kamloops.

On Tuesday, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District issued an evacuation order for multiple properties north of Lillooet and west of the Fraser River in the Pavillion Road area due to the 5,000 hectare (50 square kilometre) McKay Creek fire.

Twenty-four firefighters and four helicopters were on scene. The fire is also suspected to be human-caused.

Crews were also called to two new fires near Big White in the Okanagan, which were burning in close proximity and believed to be about 300 hectares in size, combined.

The flare-up in wildfire activity comes as the province continues to reel from an unprecedented heat wave, which saw Lytton, B.C., shatter the all-time temperature record for Canada on three consecutive days.

While the extreme peaks of the heat wave appeared to have passed, hot, dry weather remains in the forecast, along with the possibility for thunderstorms in the interior, which could lead to lightning strikes, along with strong winds.

A province-wide campfire ban was implemented at noon on Wednesday.

Experts have warned that the province’s “extreme” fire danger rating is reminiscent of what B.C. saw in August 2017 and 2018, both historic years for wildfires.