Lytton, B.C., still under evacuation order one year after fire
What was once the B.C. Village of Lytton is now a fire-scarred wasteland that is uninhabitable.
June 30 marks a year since a devastating fire burned about 90 per cent of the community. Even now, most of Lytton remains under an evacuation order.
“This is a state of local emergency and so nobody can come back until it’s all completely cleaned up,’ explained Owen Collings, who lost his home in the fire and remembers the day in vivid detail.
He says the fire was “absolutely a firestorm, unstoppable.”
A couple months after the blaze, he began working for the village, providing site support. That means he sees the devastation first hand, day in and day out.
“The emotions come and go,” he explained.
“Sometimes I just get a trigger.”
Collings is also the person who guides Lytton residents as they need to return to their former homes.
But some evacuees say it’s far too difficult to return to the rubble-filled village.
It’s just too painful. and I don’t think I’m unique,” said an emotional Edith Loring-Kuhanga, the administrator at Stein Valley Nlakapamux School and also a Lytton resident.
She lost all her belongings in the fire. The place where she lived also was destroyed.
She said she is frustrated at the pace of clean-up.
“Ten, 11 months later to finally start to see progress on the ground, that has been really difficult,” she said.
She compares the village to nearby Lytton First Nation where temporary housing is being set up.
“We started ordering housing back in August I believe so we have two, three subdivisions started (with) 39 temporary units,” explained Niakia Hanna, a councillor with Lytton First Nation.
LFN had expected to open the federally-funded homes this week but ran into delays.
In the Village of Lytton, close to 70 per cent of the properties had no insurance or were underinsured. It wasn’t until provincial funding was announced that remediation work to remove soil contaminants began in March. The area also has significant cultural importance and archeological assessments are required.
The clean-up is happening in stages, beginning with metal items being removed, then ash and then foundations.
“Some only have the surface debris, but down in my place, they’re already starting to take the earth,” explained Collings.
Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman told CTV News the clean-up is costing an average of $60,000 for each property.
So far, work is complete on only about 10 of the 150 properties, meaning there’s much to be done before evacuees can come home.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.