Screenshot from video of a drive through Lytton last night, June 30, as a wildfire move straight through the village.
Image Credit: VIMEO/2 Rivers Remix Society
July 01, 2021 - 4:22 PM
A Lytton man says his parents died while taking cover in an unused septic tank last night when a fire roared through town.
Jeff Chapman told Postmedia News his parents, a couple in their 60s, died after they climbed into a unused septic hole when their house, located between the town's downtown and the railway tracks, began to burn.
The entire town was evacuated last night and the town's MP Brad Vis said 90% of the village has burned and injuries have been reported.
Chapman said he ran towards the train tracks and watched as a power pole exploded on top of the hole where his parents were. He told the media outlet they died there.
When the fire died down, Chapman ran back to the house and he was able to drive his truck out of town to a nearby fire station.
Earlier today, Premier John Horgan and Public Safety Ministry Mike Farnworth as well as officials from the B.C. Wildfire Service and Emergency Management B.C. held a press conference to provide an update on the current wildfire situation in British Columbia, July 1.
Farnworth said most homes and structures including the RCMP detachment and B.C. Ambulance Service buildings were lost in the blaze. The fire is roughly 9,000 hectares in size.
The RCMP and Canadian Red Cross are working to locate those who are not yet accounted for, he said.
READ MORE: 1,000 people evacuated from Lytton area due to fire, some unaccounted for
Reception centres for evacuees have been established in Kamloops, Chilliwack, Kelowna and Merritt and more response centres are being established, he said. Many evacuees have settled in surrounding communities.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
The RCMP could not be immediately reached for comment.
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