The Nohomin Creek wildfire ignited on July 14, 2022, west of Lytton.
Image Credit: FACEBOOK/Jack McIntyre
July 15, 2022 - 11:40 AM
The total number of homes lost so far at Lytton First Nation has yet to be confirmed, but the blaze that started yesterday afternoon has already taken a toll.
At least six homes have burned down so far and a reconnaissance helicopter is scheduled to confirm the exact figure this afternoon, July 15.
"It's a devastating loss for some of our community members," Lytton First Nation deputy chief John Haugen told iNFOnews.ca.
There could be as many as nine homes, but those are yet to be confirmed, Haugen said at a press conference this afternoon.
He said evacuees have fled to Lillooet and Cache Creek as the fire burns on the west side of the Fraser River, northwest of the still-rebuilding Village of Lytton.
The closed Lytton ferry restricted outgoing evacuees and incoming supplies, he said, and forced people to either walk across the train bridge or drive gravel roads on the west side of the river.
"We cannot get human resources over there for fuel, equipment or trucks that would have really assisted in this fire," he said.
The Lytton ferry is closed because of high water on the Fraser River.
By 11 a.m. today, the Nohomin Creek wildfire reached around 800 hectares, as wind gusts fan the flames.
"We do know that fires are part of the landscape here and we have to do our utmost to mitigate fire activity," Haugen said.
The region was devastated by last year's Lytton Creek wildfire amid a heat dome that struck much of B.C. in July 2021.
Colton Davies of the Thompson Nicola Regional District told iNFOnews.ca that there were no known regional district properties lost in the Nohomin Creek wildfire as of this morning.
The blaze is out of control and B.C. Wildfire Service has seen the most aggressive fire behaviour on its western flanks in steep terrain.
Sixty firefighters are on the scene today with helicopters dousing hot spots throughout the day.
— This story was updated at 3:24 p.m. July 15, 2022, with an update on the number of homes burned in the wildfire.
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