RCMP vehicle sparks wildfire north of Lytton

A wildfire burning near Lytton grew to over 1.5 square kilometres Thursday and has been declared a wildfire of note by the B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS). 

Mayor Denise O’Connor said the Izman Creek Fire is burning about 14-kilometres north of Lytton, and poses no threat to the village right now, aside from some smoky skies.

BCWS said another fire that ignited much closer to Lytton on Monday has since been brought under control. 

But O’Connor said seeing the flames and smoke nearby was retraumatizing for many Lytton residents. She noted flames were spotted on the four-year anniversary of the major wildfire that devastated the Fraser Canyon community and left two dead.

“That experience and the trauma effects of 2021 are still very real,” said O’Connor. “As soon as I saw the smoke…your senses go up. I wanted to make sure everything was OK.”

RCMP equipment sparks wildfire

RCMP said the Izman Creek wildfire ignited due to an incident with an officer’s vehicle on July 1st. Senior Media Relations Officer, Sgt. Kris Clark, said an officer was hauling an RCMP boat that had been deployed in the area when a wheel came off the boat trailer, throwing sparks into the dry grass in the ditch.

Clark said the officer tried to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but it quickly spread across the road and the officer reported the blaze to BCWS.

“It doesn’t take much to start a fire under current [dry] conditions.” said Clark, who called it a “very unfortunate set of circumstances.”

Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order for three properties along Highway 12 near the Izman Creek wildfire. Highway 12 remained closed Thursday afternoon between Lytton and Lillooet with local access only.

The Lytton First Nation has issued an evacuation alert for multiple areas, meaning residents should be ready to leave on short notice. 

BCWS said ground and aerial crews continued to fight the Izman Creek wildfire Thursday, and crews were working to protect structures in the area. 

There are 84 wildfires burning across the province, including 29 listed as out-of-control.

The wildfire service said some regions, including the Fort Nelson zone, were seeing cooler temperatures and thundershowers this week, which should help reduce the intensity of wildfires. But hot and dry conditions continue to linger in southern B.C.