Wildfire near Lytton grows to 600 hectares, evacuation orders issued
The Saw Creek wildfire near the village, destroyed by flames five years ago, has prompted emergency alerts affecting 215 properties.
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A wildfire near Lytton has grown to 600 hectares as of Saturday morning, June 20, forcing evacuation orders and alerts for residents of the village that was nearly destroyed in 2021.
The Saw Creek wildfire was discovered on Friday, June 19, initially at 10 hectares. It expanded to 100 hectares within hours, then 200 by evening. The BC Wildfire Service suspects human cause.
The Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued a state of local emergency and evacuation order affecting about 47 properties in the Village of Lytton, including areas east of Highway 1 and Ponderosa Heights. An evacuation alert covers approximately 168 additional properties. Highway 1 is closed for 116 kilometres between Boston Bar and Cache Creek.
By Saturday morning, the fire was burning at Rank 2—a surface fire with visible flame and disorganized front—down from Rank 4-5 on Friday night. The BC Wildfire Service has deployed 130 firefighting personnel, nine helicopters, and structure protection crews. Support includes firefighters from Clearwater, Barriere, and Chilliwack.
Emergency Support Services reception centres are open at Battlefield Community Hall (1756 Battlefield Rd. in Lytton) and at McArthur Island Park in Kamloops (1655 Island Parkway). Evacuees can register at ess.gov.bc.ca. The Village of Lytton also issued a boil water notice for the village and two Indian reserves.
Lytton was devastated on June 30, 2021, one day after recording Canada's temperature record of 49.6°C. That fire killed two people and levelled almost the entire community. Recovery has been slow—despite over $140 million in federal and provincial funding, only a few dozen homes have been rebuilt. The village now has about 75 residents, down from 210 before the fire.