Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Amandalina Letterio

Wildfire Memories

Ruins and destruction of Lytton bring back memories of heartbreak for Louis Creek

Jul 28, 2021 | 4:56 PM

KAMLOOPS — Eighteen years ago, the McLure fire roared through Louis Creek destroying homes and businesses, similar to what happened recently in Lytton.

The ruins and destruction of the Lytton community is a stark reminder of heartbreak for the people who were living in Louis Creek and Barriere in 2003.

“The fires came through, and my dad has had a successful business here for many years,” said Cari Crawford, Louis Creek resident. “The building that burned was his antique store at the time, in 2003, it came through with a lot of fury and it came through very quickly and so that was lost. It was devastating. I wouldn’t come out here for years. It was awful.”

Eventually, Crawford moved back and took over her father’s antique store, the Local of Louis Creek Artisan Market, which was rebuilt years later alongside his home with the help of strangers — a part of the story that she hopes will offer the people of Lytton some hope.

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“Mennonites came in from the States and from local Mennonite groups, and they came into the community. They brought in ships of people to clean up, because that’s a whole issue that you don’t really think about – it’s a terrible mess that’s left behind – as well as rebuilding,” she said.

Heavy smoke and helicopters have become part of British Columbia’s ambiance this summer and for communities like Louis Creek and Barriere, those aren’t just sounds and smells, they can bring back memories.

“They’re reminded how impacted they were from the Barriere fires in 2003 and the 2017 fire year that was really bad. So a lot of people in my work are working through those targets because they’re getting retriggered now. We’re essentially in another stress-response state of feeling unsafe,” said Jolene Lindsey, counsellor at C&C Resources for Life.

Lindsey said she believes those residents still suffer from long-lasting post traumatic stress from that fire.

“It was a sense of loss for sure – just the whole community, anything that any historical remnants of it, like anybody’s projects that they had done – it was just all gone. It just felt like it had been erased off the map a little bit,” Crawford continued.

She feels the people of Lytton have a long road ahead and that B.C. should remember to check in on them.

After the spotlight was off Louis Creek back in 2003, Crawford said the community felt forgotten.

“If you’re going to come into the community and probe and ask questions and do reports, I would like to see personally that the world follows up on those reports, and not just drops it for the next story,” she explained.