'I've come back to reclaim my house': Seniors first to move back to Lytton house that survived wildfire

Lytton, B.C. -

A senior couple whose house survived the June 2021 Lytton wildfire has moved back home. They’re the first to return to the village, despite the fact it remains under a local state of emergency.

“We just got fed up after almost two years. We just sent the village an email. We said, ‘We’re moving back in,’” explained 67-year-old Shirley Dean.

“I said, 'I have a medical crisis. I need to be closer to Kamloops,'” she said.

The only response she received was that someone would respond. No one ever did.

Their home inside the evacuation zone has electricity, but no water or sewer, so they have parked a travel trailer on site.

Shirley, along with her husband Alan Dean, who is 74, said they are grateful to be back, but upset that their village is little more than piles of dirt with no new construction.

“They just dug big holes everywhere and they wrecked the sidewalks,” said Alan. “It’s been nearly two years and they haven’t done anything.”

“I’m fed up. I’m just fed up,” Shirley said. “Why should it take so long? They tore the whole town apart.”

The province requires properties impacted by the fire to undergo an archeological assessment, but most residents are still waiting for information on their properties.

A statement from the Ministry of Forests, which oversees the archeology, says: “The remediation activities which began in spring 2022 had all necessary archaeology permits in place and the subsequent archaeology work has not delayed rebuilding efforts. This work is occurring alongside remediation and debris removal, and activities required for rebuild, such as testing and the installation of utilities.”

The ministry also says that the work has uncovered “culturally significant objects connected to Indigenous communities.”

“This work is being done in an orderly and thoughtful manner, reflecting priorities set by the Village of Lytton to ensure the rebuild moves forward as quickly as possible,” the statement reads.

“Based on information provided by Lytton’s archaeologists, the Archaeology Branch is providing direction on next steps and necessary permitting required to proceed with construction, on a property-by-property basis.”

But the statement doesn’t say what happens if something is found on a property and how it might impact new construction. It also doesn’t indicate when the work is expected to be complete or how many properties have finished the assessment.

Lytton land owners must have the assessment complete to submit an application for a building permit.

“Once archaeology and the soil remediation is complete, they still need to come in and backfill. Which means bring back soil that’s not contaminated,” explained Lytton Mayor Denise O’Connor.

The village recently hired two recovery managers as council looks for ways to speed up rebuilding.

“I hope it hasn’t taken so long because they (different levels of government) want to build this community for the world to look to, this model community. Because what they’ve not done then is consider the people. And it’s those people waiting two years,” O’Connor said.

Meanwhile, the mayor said she has no issue with the Deans' decision to return to their home.

She also said she’s working to get the local state of emergency lifted in Lytton.

As for the Deans, they are busy settling in to their house after almost two years.

“I don’t think of myself as the first person back. I just think I’ve come back to reclaim my house and start living again,” Shirley said. 

Shirley and Alan Dean have moved back to their home in Lytton, which survived the 2021 fire in the village, despite the local state of emergency that is still technically in place. (CTV)