Straight Talk

Lytton mayor Jan Polderman tells CBC that "the whole town is on fire"

Winds were gusting at 67 kilometres per hour when the Lytton weather station went offline

by Charlie Smith on June 30th, 2021 at 8:32 PM
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      The village of Lytton is enveloped in smoke and flames. And the mayor, Jan Polderman, has told CBC reporter Meera Bains that "the whole town is on fire".

      The community of 250 residents has been evacuated. There's no word at this point of any injuries.

      There are reports of buildings burning to the ground. Winds were gusting at 67 kilometres per hour when the Lytton weather station webcam went offline late this afternoon.

      Lytton is known as Canada's "hot spot". On June 29, it set an all-time record for Canada at 49.6 C.

      This evening, a truck driver named Bruce called in to CBC Radio from Boston Bar. He said that he was told the fire started near the train tracks and ran up the hill and down the backside.

      Another caller named Ryan said that the plume of smoke over Lytton looked like a mushroom cloud.

      Highway 1 is closed from Boston Bar to Spences Bridge.

      Kamloops and Merritt are to the east of Lytton. To the south of town are Boston Bar and Hope. 

      The City of Merritt has tweeted that evacuees from Lytton are welcome at its Emergency Social Services building at 1721 Coldwater Avenue.

      Video: Watch Global News B.C.'s coverage of the wildfire.
      Prior to the fire, the Weather Network posted this video about Lytton setting a Canadian temperature record three days in a row.

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