Lytton, July 12 (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By James Peters

Lytton Fire

RCMP find pair of suspected looters in fire-scorched Lytton

Aug 25, 2021 | 10:22 AM

LYTTON, B.C. — UPDATE: RCMP contacted CFJC Today to reiterate that it is very unusual to find unwanted people within evacuated communities and looting is not widespread or even common.

EARLIER: RCMP are asking the public to be on alert after stopping some suspected potential looters in the burned-out community of Lytton.

In a news release, RCMP say members stopped a suspicious vehicle in Lytton at 6:30 a.m. last Saturday (Aug. 21). The area within the village boundary has been under evacuation order since a wildfire destroyed most of its structures on June 30.

Officers say the man and woman in the suspicious vehicle are Abbotsford residents and are well-known to police. Police say they couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation for why they were in the evacuation order area.

The woman was wearing a high-visibility jacket. RCMP believe she was trying to blend in with workers or flaggers in the area, thus avoiding suspicion.

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The Mounties detained the two for suspected possession of property obtained by crime. A search of their vehicle uncovered a variety of break-in instruments as well as lengths of thick cable wires that had been cut.

While police believe the two were in Lytton to commit further property crime, they were released from custody, escorted out of the village boundaries and told not to return.

Meantime, RCMP ask the public to report any suspicious people or vehicles inside areas affected by wildfire evacuation alerts or evacuation orders.