The people of Leyton leave everything behind to escape their burning village

Mayor Jan Boldermann said the bushfires, which quickly spread to the village, threaten the infrastructure and safety of residents.

This is very dangerous. The whole village is burning. Barely 15 minutes passed between the first sign of smoke and flames everywhere.

Yan Polderman urged all residents to leave Lytton and travel to the nearby community Boston Bar. A shelter was also set up in Meret, east of the village, and other residents took refuge Lilluette, in the north.

In the First Nation Squad Council office, the fire was three or four feet in size. I drove through the village and saw nothing but smoke, fire and fallen electric wires, the mayor said.

Later that night from Wednesday to Thursday, the eviction order was extended for residents of 87 properties north of Lytton Village. (A new window).

Videos taken by residents rushing to flee the scene showed several infrastructures set ablaze, with fires in all directions.

A tree caught fire along a road outside Lytton on Wednesday evening.

Photo: 2 Rivers Remix Society / Vimeo

Earlier this week, the village of Leighton, located about 260 kilometers from Vancouver, repeatedly broke the temperature record in Canada, hitting an all-time high of 49.6 degrees Celsius on Tuesday.

Firefighters were already battling two other wildfires in the area when one, on George Road, spread to Lytton.

County fire spokeswoman Erica Berg said an evacuation order was issued about an hour after the fire broke out. She added that teams already mobilized in other sectors were reassigned to intervene.

Firefighters walk toward the George Road fire on June 20, 2021. This fire spread to the village of Lytton, British Columbia, causing all of its residents to evacuate on June 30.

Photo: BC Wildfire Service

Edith Loring Kohanga, who works at Lytton’s Stein Valley Nlakapamux School, escaped from the scene to Lillooet in a trailer with about 100 other villagers.

It is absolutely amazing. Our whole village has been swallowed upShe told CBC Radio Wednesday night.

Ms Loring-Kuhanga said she was first asked to set up a gathering center for locals at the school, only to learn it would be impossible for them to stay put. Many left the scene, leaving behind animals and valuables.

There are many people in shock. We are all in shockShe said.

According to road agency DriveBC, the fires have forced the closure of highways north and south of Lytton. At 6 p.m., Highway 1 between Boston Bar and Spences Bridge was closed, while Highway 12 from Lillooet to Highway 1 was closed.

Many uncontrolled wildfires

While the record heat wave continued across much of British Columbia, firefighting teams already spent Tuesday night through Wednesday battling fires in the interior of the province.

The uncontrolled Lake Sparks fires, which are located 15 kilometers northwest of Lake Kamloops, were estimated to have an area of ​​40 square kilometers as of Wednesday afternoon.

Eighteen properties have been evacuated in the Thomson-Nicolas Regional District. Notices of potential evictions have been issued for 150 properties in the Desdman, Red Lake, Tranquille Lake and Vidette Lake areas as well as 298 properties in the Loon and Hihium Lake areas.

Marshall Potts and Jo Ann Beharrell, who live about a mile from the fire, were ordered to leave the area on Tuesday afternoon.

They loaded things into their car on Monday evening, knowing that they would likely have to leave at short notice.

The couple is staying with their family in Lake Benantan, approximately 75 kilometers away, with their two dogs.

It was very stressfulMr. Beharel said. The fact of not knowing and wanting to go back and check that all is well is really overwhelming.

They left the doors open so their animals could escape if the flames got too close.

On Wednesday morning, they received no news of the condition of their properties.

Lake Sparks, located 15 kilometers northwest of Lake Kamloops, has an area of ​​40 square kilometers.

Photo: BC Wildfire Service

The BC Wildfire Service He pointed out that 56 firefighters, 10 helicopters and 2 heavy equipment were mobilized to combat this fire.

Firefighting information officer Madison Smith said both helicopters struggled with temperatures on Tuesday. In addition, some of them were discontinued due to the overheating of their engines.

The uncontrolled McKay Creek fire that broke out on Tuesday burned 23 kilometers north of Lilluit and reached an area of ​​50 square kilometers. 24 firefighters, 4 helicopters and 5 pieces of heavy equipment were trying to control it.

97 . road closure

Three more fires in the Prince George area were out of control on Wednesday. All three were caused by lightning. Two have an area of ​​22 square kilometers and the third is 48 square kilometers.

B.C. Fire Service Information Officer Sharon Nickell said Highway 97 North was closed from the Bucking Horse River 20 kilometers north of Truch to protect the public from wildfires in Pink Mountain in northern British Columbia.

The motorway will remain closed at this location until there is no further public safety issue.Sharon Nickel explained. We will have staff on site to further assess the situation.

Those fires were estimated at 30 square kilometers on Wednesday.

Ms Nickel said that throughout the area covered by the Prince George Fire Center, the weather was very dry, and she expected those conditions to continue.

The possibility of lightning in the forecast

With the air cooling in Vancouver, high temperatures are expected to continue in the interior of the province this week heat dome moving east. Temperatures in Kamloops and Kelowna are expected to reach around 30 to 40 degrees Celsius in the coming days.

Lightning struck Wednesday morning in Vancouver Island and northern British Columbia where the fire risk is high, according to meteorologist Joanna Wagstaff.

She said these effects should move east and new fires could start.

Remote areas remain open despite the dangers of forest fires

Despite the fire risks, the backcountry will not be closed due to the long weekend of Canada Day, said John Hawkings, director of recreation sites and trails for the British Columbia Department of Forestry.

Closing a forest is not as easy as building a fenceMr. Hawkings said the presentation on Wednesday south dawn dcbc.

We have thousands of recreational spots, bike parks and places for people to go out to enjoy, and it’s a healthy activity., he completed. The closure of remote areas is an extreme measure.

With information from Courtney Dixon, Daybreak Kamloops and Daybreak South