By Canadian Press

Some Lytton, B.C., residents still unaccounted for after wildfire evacuation

Jul 2, 2021 | 9:52 AM

LYTTON, B.C. — The search continued Friday for multiple residents of a village in British Columbia’s Interior that was decimated by a wildfire this week. 

Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth hasn’t said how many people from the Lytton, B.C., area were unaccounted for. 

He says it’s been hard to keep tabs on where everyone ended up given the urgent nature of Wednesday evening’s evacuation. 

Officials say it’s unclear whether anyone remains in the village due to a lack of cell service. 

RCMP say details about conditions in the village are scant because it’s not safe to enter the area, but aerial photos show that numerous buildings and vehicles have been destroyed. 

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They say they’ll begin searching for missing or injured people on the ground as soon as it’s safe to do so. 

Farnworth has said that the roughly 1,000 people who managed to flee to safety when the emergency evacuation order was issued will find very little left when they return.

The Lytton Creek wildfire that burned the village was still listed as out of control on Friday morning and was about 64 square kilometres in size.

Meanwhile, just to the northeast, Kamloops, B.C. faced a wildfire threat that triggered an evacuation Thursday night that has since been rescinded. The fire was classified as under control on Friday morning. It was ignited during weather that produced several lightning strikes.

Fire Department platoon captain Troy Grant didn’t have an exact number but he said about 200 people in the Juniper Ridge neighbourhood were evacuated as the fast moving fire advanced toward the area.

An update posted to the city’s website on Friday said residents could return to their homes and no structures were lost in the fire. Crews continued targeting hot spots in the fire, it said, and residents were asked to reduce irrigation to conserve water to support their efforts.

The Merry Creek wildfire has also prompted the Regional District of Central Kootenay to issue an evacuation order for 31 properties about eight kilometres south of Castlegar. As of Friday morning, that fire was listed as 15 hectares in size and burning out of control. Several other areas in Castlegar were on evacuation alert.

The wildfire service says there were 119 active fires burning across the province on Friday morning, with 49 of them starting in the last two days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2021.

The Canadian Press