Update: A public information meeting has been scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 13, at Lytton Memorial Hall, 918 Main Street.
Lytton Mayor Jessoa Lightfoot is no stranger to the uncertainty of wildfire season.
But, that hasn’t made the events of the last week any easier.
“You know, you’re always anxious when this kind of thing occurs,” Lightfoot told KTW.
“A number of years ago — we were evacuated in the early 90s — and every night we’d come to town and we’d see all the flames and go, ‘Oh no, my house has burned down.’ But, the next day, you realized it was quite a ways above where the houses were.”
Lightfoot said the situation has been much the same this year, with the flames of the now 1,280-hectare wildfire south of Lytton — down from 1,500ha in preceding days — putting everyone in the town site on high alert.
The situation was especially scary Thursday night, she said, with the orange hue of the flames painting a terrifying scene for residents watching the horizon.
Odds are, the uncertainly will continue through the next week, Lightfoot said. On evacuation alert herself, the mayor expects a few more sleepless nights ahead for the owners of the 10 homes already evacuated and the additional 60 to 65 properties that remain on alert.
Along with the evacuations, the fire resulted in a road closure Friday night. South Spencer Road, from the intersection of South Spencer Road and Kwoiek Creek Forest Service Road in the south, to the junction of Spud Road and South Spencer Road in the north, was closed at 7 p.m.
“You just don’t know what you’re going to come back to, if you are going to come back,” Lightfoot said, the sound of helicopters flying overhead audible in the background.
“It really helps you set your priorities and what’s important. Of course, life is important, but then you get the family photos and papers and kind of steel yourself to being prepared to just have that.”
A preoccupation with the weather — especially the wind and the possibility of rain — also takes over, she said, while everything else gets pushed to the side.
The area did get some good news on Friday, as roughly 6.7 millimetres of precipitation fell on the fire, calming fire activity.
According to fire information officer Melissa Klassen, the blaze was 15 per cent contained by Saturday morning.
She said crews will continue with burning operations throughout the day and are working to establish water supply along the north flank of the fire, nearest to threatened structures.
The 88 firefighters on scene will work throughout the day, but conditions are not currently conducive for night operations.
“Because we’ve had so many crews on this, we’re managing fatigue,” Klassen said.
“It’s better to have them working during the day.”
The B.C. Wildfire Management Branch also has two pieces of heavy equipment — a bulldozer and an excavator — 10 sprinkler-unit staff, 16 incident-management team staff and seven helicopters on scene. The fire, which was human caused, is still under investigation.
Klassen confirmed one structure was impacted by the fire, but said she was unclear what the structure was, or the extent of the damage.
Lightfoot wasn’t certain what the structure was either, but thought, based on her knowledge of the area, it may have been an area home which has sat abandoned for a number of years.
The mayor said village residents who are under evacuation order are anxious to return to their homes. She too is anxious to put the last week behind her, but her experience with the uncertainty of wildfires has helped.
“You never really get used to it, but there’s enough fires in this area that it’s not uncommon,” she said.
“You never know, you know? Over a couple hours, the wind can change and it can just go crazy.
“My truck’s packed and I’m ready to head out if directed. But, at this point, I’m trying to remain positive.”
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