A village in British Columbia’s Interior largely lies in ashes, the province’s public safety minister said Thursday as he confirmed that flames have destroyed most buildings in Lytton and left multiple residents unaccounted for. ...
“Most homes and structures in the village, as well as the ambulance station and the RCMP detachment, have been lost,” Farnworth said at an afternoon news conference. “I also understand that some residents have not been accounted for and their location is currently being investigated by the RCMP.”
A massive heatwave that sent local temperatures to historic highs earlier this week is being partially blamed for a spate of wildfires in the area. One blaze near Lytton, now spanning 90 square kilometres, is still active and creating considerable danger for all in the area, Premier John Horgan said.
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At least 1,000 people had been evacuated from Lytton and the surrounding areas, Farnworth said.
B.C. Premier John Horgan said the cause of the fire, which was last mapped at 9,000 hectares, remained under investigation.
“When the smoke in Lytton clears, of course, the province will be there to rebuild,” Horgan said.
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A Lytton man says his parents died in the wildfire that swept through town on Wednesday night, destroying the downtown strip and its surrounding buildings.
Jeff Chapman told Postmedia News that the couple in their 60s took cover in a hole in the ground as their house between the railway tracks and the downtown core began to burn.
Chapman said he ran toward the tracks. Moments later, he saw a power pole explode and fall on top of the hole containing his parents.
“It’s their grave now,” he said on Thursday, waiting outside a motel in Boston Bar.
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