Survivors of Lytton, B.C., fire grapple with a new reality: most of their town is gone
Cle-Ann Coghlan and her family are safe in Lillooet but their house in Lytton, B.C., is gone.
“I don’t feel like I’ve even processed or even gotten to the point where I can feel that sadness,” she told CTV News Vancouver. “Because I’m just trying to make sure that each day is good for the kids.”
CTV News obtained exclusive video on the ground in Lytton, showing the destruction the fire left in its wake. Next to nothing is left standing in the town after a fire roared through Wednesday, which gave residents just minutes to pack and get out.
“I do miss my Pokémon cards and my stuffies,” said Anniah Coghlan, Cle-Ann’s seven-year-old daughter.
Brandon Flaig and his family were driving on Highway 1 near Lytton, on their way to their cabin, when they noticed a train on fire Wednesday afternoon.
“There was a rail cart full of lumber,” he said, and both the bridge and train car were on fire.
“It was right in the middle of the bridge so it was hard to access right?”
The cause of the Lytton fire is still under investigation, but Flaig said this one happened at about 3:20pm Wednesday about 10 or 15 kilometres from Lytton, just north of Boston Bar.
“Not 100 per cent (sure) that (it was) the fire that went to Lytton, but it was pretty obvious with the way the wind was blowing, it was heading that way,” he said.
The death toll remains at two, and the BC Coroners service told CTV News that it hasn’t had any new reports of deaths.
The mayor and province are still trying to get a handle on how many people are missing. They’re asking all evacuees to register so they can count. More than 1,000 people were forced to evacuate the town.
The Lytton Creek fire is still classified as out of control and as of Saturday afternoon was more than 8,700 hectares.
“We are expecting continued growth, despite the heat dome dissipating, we are still seeing those hot interior summer temperatures, accompanied with wind ... which makes firefighting efforts challenging,” said Jean Strong, fire information officer.
A gofundme page has been set up for the Coghlan family, to help them put their lives back together. There are several other gofundme pages for other groups and families, as well as a general fund for Lytton residents.
“We love our town so we hope to get back there,” Coghlan said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.