Fundraiser launched to help museums destroyed in Lytton, B.C., fire

Vancouver -

Fundraisers have been launched to help rebuild two museums burned to the ground in Lytton, B.C.

Like most of the village, Lytton Museum and Archives and Lytton Chinese History Museum were reduced to rubble when a devastating blaze tore through town late last month.

History buffs from the Gold Trails and Ghost Towns Facebook group have started fundraising money to help the residents of Lytton continue telling their stories.

"It's catastrophic because people built these collections up over decades and some of these items are 100 per cent irreplaceable," said Blake Mackenzie, who is part of the group.

"It's really difficult to fathom everything that's been lost, let alone the loss of their homes and buildings and businesses, but all that history and background."

Owner and director of the Chinese History Museum, Lorna Fandrich, told CTV News after the fire that the 1,600 artifacts in that collection can't be replaced.

“It’s easy enough to build a new building, but the artifacts, those can’t be replaced because they’re actually from this community,” she said. 

So far the group has raised more than $5,000.