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Lytton wildfire
A wildfire began on June 30, 2021 just south of the village of Lytton in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. The fire destroyed much of Lytton and caused two civilian fatalities, announced July 3. Several missing residents, still unaccounted for at that time, were later located. The fire, one of the 2021 British Columbia wildfires throughout the province, was facilitated by the 2021 Western North America heat wave.
At the time of the fire, Lytton had a population of about 250 with another 1,500 to 2,000 First Nations residents living nearby on reserves affected as well.
The wildfire started in the early evening of June 30, 2021. The village had been setting Canadian temperature records in the previous days, including reaching 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) the previous day, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada. Under hot, dry conditions, winds of up to 71 kilometres per hour (44 mph) pushed the fire north into the community, and the fire may have been moving at 10 to 20 km/h. Volunteer firefighters tackled the fire and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began to evacuate residents near the fire. As the fire advanced, propane tanks exploded. Winds thwarted firefighting efforts by blowing hose water away from the fire. The fire swept through the village within minutes, forcing the hasty evacuation of its residents without any time to collect belongings. Mayor Jan Polderman issued an evacuation order at 6:00 PM. Some residents notified local shop owners of the impending danger so they could flee. Lytton First Nation had an evacuation plan and quickly carried it out on short notice without assistance from provincial authorities.[failed verification]
There were three evacuation routes from the village:
Both the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 12 were closed to non-evacuee traffic minutes prior to Lytton's evacuation order being issued.
By July 2, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops First Nation) had opened their powwow grounds to assist in accounting for band members fleeing from the fire.
The fire destroyed 90 percent of the village, killed two people and forced the evacuation of nearby First Nations communities. On July 1, local MP Brad Vis made a Facebook post stating that there were reports of several injuries in addition to the two deaths.
Nearly every house within the village was destroyed. Some houses across the highway from the village were spared, but were cut off from electricity, sewer and water services. The village's watershed may have been contaminated by chemicals used to fight the fire, and the ruins may pose the risk of toxic chemical exposure. The fire largely leveled Lytton's Main Street, burning the post office, ambulance station, health centre, RCMP detachment, Lytton Elementary School, Lytton Hotel, and the Lytton Village Office. The Lytton Chinese History Museum was lost, along with 1,600 artifacts, museum archives and library. Residents of the village and its surrounding area lost their homes. The railway and highway were also damaged. The Insurance Bureau of Canada reported $78 million of insured damage. St. Barnabas Anglican Church had minor damage but was not burned.
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Lytton wildfire
A wildfire began on June 30, 2021 just south of the village of Lytton in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. The fire destroyed much of Lytton and caused two civilian fatalities, announced July 3. Several missing residents, still unaccounted for at that time, were later located. The fire, one of the 2021 British Columbia wildfires throughout the province, was facilitated by the 2021 Western North America heat wave.
At the time of the fire, Lytton had a population of about 250 with another 1,500 to 2,000 First Nations residents living nearby on reserves affected as well.
The wildfire started in the early evening of June 30, 2021. The village had been setting Canadian temperature records in the previous days, including reaching 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) the previous day, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada. Under hot, dry conditions, winds of up to 71 kilometres per hour (44 mph) pushed the fire north into the community, and the fire may have been moving at 10 to 20 km/h. Volunteer firefighters tackled the fire and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began to evacuate residents near the fire. As the fire advanced, propane tanks exploded. Winds thwarted firefighting efforts by blowing hose water away from the fire. The fire swept through the village within minutes, forcing the hasty evacuation of its residents without any time to collect belongings. Mayor Jan Polderman issued an evacuation order at 6:00 PM. Some residents notified local shop owners of the impending danger so they could flee. Lytton First Nation had an evacuation plan and quickly carried it out on short notice without assistance from provincial authorities.[failed verification]
There were three evacuation routes from the village:
Both the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 12 were closed to non-evacuee traffic minutes prior to Lytton's evacuation order being issued.
By July 2, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops First Nation) had opened their powwow grounds to assist in accounting for band members fleeing from the fire.
The fire destroyed 90 percent of the village, killed two people and forced the evacuation of nearby First Nations communities. On July 1, local MP Brad Vis made a Facebook post stating that there were reports of several injuries in addition to the two deaths.
Nearly every house within the village was destroyed. Some houses across the highway from the village were spared, but were cut off from electricity, sewer and water services. The village's watershed may have been contaminated by chemicals used to fight the fire, and the ruins may pose the risk of toxic chemical exposure. The fire largely leveled Lytton's Main Street, burning the post office, ambulance station, health centre, RCMP detachment, Lytton Elementary School, Lytton Hotel, and the Lytton Village Office. The Lytton Chinese History Museum was lost, along with 1,600 artifacts, museum archives and library. Residents of the village and its surrounding area lost their homes. The railway and highway were also damaged. The Insurance Bureau of Canada reported $78 million of insured damage. St. Barnabas Anglican Church had minor damage but was not burned.
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