Evacuation orders issued for Lytton First Nation reserves as wildfire grows nearby

An out-of-control wildfire burning near Lytton, B.C., has prompted evacuation orders for two sparsely populated First Nations reserves on the west side of the Fraser River.

The Lytton First Nation issued the orders Thursday morning for Lytton 26A and Skwayaynope 26 due to what it described as “immediate danger to life and safety” from the Cantilever Bar wildfire, which has been burning about 10 kilometres south of the village of Lytton since Monday. 

An emergency reception centre has been set up at the Lytton First Nation Battlefield Community Hall, and residents have been directed to evacuate via South Spencer Road.

An evacuation order means residents must leave immediately, while an alert advises people to be prepared to leave with little notice.

In addition to the new orders, a handful of properties remain under alert along the west side of the Fraser River, including from the Siska and Skuppah First Nations and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.

The fire has grown from an estimated 1.5 square kilometres early this week to 6.5 square kilometres, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). It says the larger estimate is due to more accurate perimeter mapping after smoke cleared enough to allow aircraft to fly overhead.

The wildfire is suspected to be human-caused, a broad category that includes all fires not sparked by lightning.

As of its latest update, the wildfire service says structure protection crews and 31 firefighters were working at the scene.

The fire is burning in steep terrain and is visible from Highway 1, and motorists are being urged to slow down and drive with caution when passing through the area.

Ongoing concern in a fire-scarred region

Lytton Mayor Denise O’Connor says the fire doesn’t currently pose an immediate threat to the village, located on the east side of the Fraser River, but is still causing widespread distress.

“So many people have anxiety and some with quite serious PTSD still from the 2021 fire,” O’Connor told CBC News.

It’s been four years since a fast-moving wildfire destroyed the village of Lytton and killed two people on June 30, 2021.

The fire burned down about 90 per cent of the village, as well as buildings in the nearby Lytton First Nation.

After the fire, many Lytton residents were hopeful they would be able to return home quickly, but delays caused by the need for archeological studies, as well as a lack of insurance coverage, have dragged out the rebuilding process.

Now, the village is finally starting to show signs of being a community again, with some people moving home and a few businesses opening back up.

WATCH | Lytton mayor moves home as village rebuilds: 

Lytton mayor moves to new home 4 years after devastating wildfire

Almost four years after a wildfire destroyed most of Lytton, the village is rebuilding. CBC’s Jenifer Norwell reports on the mayor’s move into her new home after years of waiting and rebuilding.

The Lytton Chinese History Museum, the local legion and a store have been rebuilt along with some homes, says the mayor. 

“Almost every building here is being rebuilt with … fire resistant material, the roofs are either metal or asphalt shingle, which is also fire resistant,” she said.

Tricia Thorpe, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District director whose home was destroyed in the 2021 wildfire, says she has since rebuilt with fire resilience in mind.

“I’ve got sprinklers, my house is made of concrete and metal. Even my barn is metal and concrete siding as a precaution,” she told CBC News.

Thorpe says smoke and falling debris from the latest wildfire are now creating additional concerns.

“Our biggest fear is the possibility of something starting with the embers, given how hot and dry it is here right now.”

Dry conditions fuel fire activity across B.C.

Conditions in the Fraser Canyon remain hot and dry, with temperatures approaching 40 C and vegetation highly susceptible to ignition, the wildfire service says. 

The blaze near Lytton is one of a handful of significant wildfires burning in the province in areas where Environment Canada has issued heat warnings this week, with temperatures in the high 30s. 

In the Okanagan, police and fire crews went door-to-door Wednesday night to evacuate residents from 400 properties near Peachland as a fast-moving wildfire burned near the community. 

Another 225 properties are on evacuation alert because of the fire that started Wednesday afternoon and quickly spread through tinder-dry scrub and forest. 

In the Fraser Valley, the B.C. Wildfire Service has upgraded a blaze to a “wildfire of note” and is warning campers to leave the Harrison Lake area as roads are closed ahead of the long weekend.

The 65-hectare Bear Creek fire is the first fire of note in B.C. since July 9, when the Izman Creek blaze near Lytton lost that status.

The designation is reserved for fires that are “creating an increased level of interest.”

There are about 70 active blazes burning across the province, 20 of which started in the last 24 hours.