A forest fire deemed “out of control” northwest of Lytton, BC, has grown since Sunday morning, despite uninterrupted efforts by dozens of firefighters and favorable weather overnight.
The Nohomin Creek forest fire, which began Thursday, grew to 17 square miles on Sunday afternoon, an increase of nearly 14 percent in size, though officials have described it as “stable.” a day before.
The fire has resulted in multiple evacuation orders and burned at least 10 structures, according to Lytton First Nation.
The BC Wildfire Service had said conditions were favorable Sunday earlier, as firefighters tackled the large fire 1.7 miles outside Lytton, which was nearly destroyed last year in a wildfire.
Since Saturday, ninety-five people have been receiving evacuation support.
“Slow growth has been observed up the west flank,” the service said Sunday afternoon on its website.
A provincial service spokesman said Sunday morning that cooler conditions had helped them through the night. Dozens of firefighters, including some from the Lytton First Nation, are fighting the fire with the help of helicopters and aircrews.
The Nohomin Creek forest fire northwest of Lytton, BC, began Thursday and grew to 17 square miles on Sunday afternoon, an increase of nearly 14 percent in size from the previous day. (BC Forest Fire Service)
“We have the ability to provide additional resources when we need them,” fire intelligence officer Nicole Bonnett said early Sunday. “And so we can … respond accordingly.”
The fire remains “out of control,” a designation that means the fire could continue to grow. It is currently burning an area more than four times the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park.
Bonnett said crews are attacking the fire on the north flank and are also trying to stop the spread of the fire to the south, near the Stein Valley.
Saturday saw Nohomin Creek forest fire in an aerial photograph 1.7 miles northwest of Lytton. Crews say warmer, drier conditions are likely to arrive on Tuesday. (BC / Twitter Forest Fire Service)
BC Parks has partially closed Stein Valley Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park due to the fire.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for parts of the Thompson-Nicola regional district and several Lytton First Nation reserves.
Some residents return temporarily
The acting head of the Lytton First Nation, John Haugen, said about 30 evacuees briefly returned home to retrieve food they left in the freezers when the fire broke out.
Haugen said 97 people from his community and about 40 people from neighboring areas were forced to leave their homes because of the fire.
The wildfire is raging near Lytton, BC, a year after the deadly fire
A forest fire is sweeping the outskirts of Lytton, BC, just over a year after the city was completely destroyed by a deadly fire.
He said power in the region is not expected to be restored for at least 10 days. As no timetable has yet been set for when people can officially return to their properties, he said food rot would create another problem for residents.
Although Haugen said Sunday that some of the smoke has subsided, Environment Canada has maintained a special air quality warning issued for the Fraser cannon due to the fire.