The Nohomin Creek Fire, which started on Thursday, had grown to 17 square kilometers by Sunday afternoon – a nearly 14 percent increase in size – despite officials calling it “stable” a day earlier. The fire prompted multiple evacuation orders and burned at least 10 structures, according to the Lytton First Nation. The BC Wildfire Service had said conditions were favorable earlier Sunday as firefighters tackled the large blaze 1.7 kilometers outside of Lytton, which was nearly destroyed last year in a wildfire. Ninety-five people were receiving evacuation support as of Saturday. “Upslope development observed on the west side,” the agency said Sunday afternoon on its website. A spokesman for the provincial agency said Sunday morning that cooler conditions helped them overnight. Dozens of firefighters, including some from the Lytton First Nation, are battling the blaze with the help of helicopters and aircrews. The Nohomin Creek Fire just northwest of Lytton, BC, started on Thursday and grew to 17 square kilometers by Sunday afternoon – a nearly 14 per cent increase in size from the previous day. (BC Wildfire Service) “We have the ability to bring in additional resources as we need them,” Nicole Bonnett, fire information officer, said earlier Sunday. “And so we will be able to … 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. Bonnet said crews are attacking the blaze on the north side, and are also trying to stop the fire from spreading to the south near Stein Valley. The Nohomin Creek Fire is seen in an aerial photo 1.7 kilometers northwest of Lytton on Saturday. Crews say warmer and drier conditions are likely to arrive Tuesday. (BC Wildfire Service/Twitter) 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 multiple Lytton First Nation reserves.
Some residents return temporarily
Lytton First Nation Acting Chief John Haugen said about 30 evacuees briefly returned to their homes to salvage food they left behind in 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.
Fire rages near Lytton, BC, one year after deadly blaze
A wildfire is raging outside of Lytton, BC, just over a year after the town was completely destroyed by a deadly wildfire. He said power to the area is not expected to be restored for at least 10 days. Because the timeline for when people can officially return to their properties has yet to be determined, he said rotting food will create another issue 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 Canyon because of the fire.
