'We have that resilience and we are strong': Special ceremony marks 1 year since devastating Lytton fire

LYTTON, B.C. -

Scattered in the rubble are reminders of a community that used to be.

Thousands of tonnes of debris has been removed from what was Lytton, but the clearing of properties does not erase the memories of what happened here one year ago, when the village turned into a raging inferno.

“I heard the explosions and it was just like balls of fire … It was like a horror movie,” said Edith Loring-Kuhanga, a Lytton resident.

“Gas tanks and propane tanks just blowing off, a sound I won’t forget,” recalled evacuee Jeff Chapman, whose parents died in the fire.

Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman said: “It happened in a couple hours. This entire town burned down.”

The cause remains undetermined and a police investigation is ongoing.

June 30 marks one year since the fire. Residents came together Thursday for a special ceremony acknowledging the sombre anniversary. A time capsule, with stories and pictures from residents of what happened, was buried. The capsule will be reopened in 30 years.

Tricia Thorpe was among those who attended the event.

“I think the past year has physically changed people. The stress, the uncertainty, the lack of progress,” she said.

Her husband, Don Glasgow, agrees. It’s been a tough, stress-filled year.

“A rollercoaster year. Slides, washouts, the fire, and my heart attack didn’t help either,” he said.

They live on the outskirts of town and are the only residents who have been able to rebuild.

“I sometimes feel guilty that we’ve got our own place and nobody has anything. It’s not right,” said an emotional Glasgow.

The mayor worries some businesses will be unable to return. Same with residents.

“Either because the job of rebuilding is overwhelming or they don’t have the funds to rebuild,” he explained.

He wants to build a community that is as fire-resistant as possible.

“You have to put a fire-resilient exterior onto your house so if there’s an ember shower, your house doesn’t catch fire.”

But residents are more focused on coming home.

“(Elected officials are) so intent on making a model village or putting in solar sidewalks that they’ve forgotten the most important element of a community and that is its people. People just want to come home,” said Thorpe.

There are some signs of progress in Lytton. A community internet company on Thursday became the first to reopen office space after its building burned in the fire. The new location is above the village and outside the evacuation zone.

The mayor said it’s been a year of learning as they work to rebuild an entire community.

“The lesson learned is this isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon, and the complexity of the rebuild is far greater than most people realize, including myself,” Polderman said.

Meanwhile, residents are findings glimmers of hope despite the devastation.

“We have that resilience and we are strong,” said Loring-Kuhanga. 

A year ago today, fire burned down most of Lytton. The devastation still evident everywhere. Today evacuees are gathering to support each other. ⁦@CTVVancouver⁩ pic.twitter.com/RnvKYHc5bA

— Michele Brunoro (@ctv_michele) June 30, 2022