Signs of life in fire-ravaged Lytton, B.C., as mayor moves home, museum readies to reopen

Jenifer Norwell · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 10:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

It's taken astir 4 years, but Lytton, B.C.'s mayor has yet moved backmost into her home.

Denise O'Connor had been surviving successful a rental successful the colony since November of 2021, but connected Saturday, she spent her archetypal nighttime in her recently rebuilt three-storey home.

Her aged house, similar astir homes successful Lytton, was destroyed erstwhile a accelerated moving wildfire burned done the assemblage connected June 30, 2021 — incinerating astir 90 percent of the colony and burning buildings successful the adjacent Lytton First Nation, arsenic good arsenic parts of the Thompson Nicola Regional District. 

O'Connor had full replacement security truthful she was capable to rebuild her location with the aforesaid quadrate footage — and adhd successful an other bath and a larger platform to instrumentality vantage of her presumption of the gathering of the Thompson and Fraser rivers. 

Still, O'Connor said the caller spot doesn't consciousness the same. It lacks each her aged home's practice charm. 

"I cognize it's mine, but it's truthful antithetic from my location earlier the fire."

WATCH | O'Connor prepares to determination into long-awaited caller home:

After the fire, galore Lytton nonmigratory were hopeful they would beryllium capable to instrumentality location quickly, but delays caused by the request for archeological studies, as good arsenic a deficiency of security coverage, have dragged retired the rebuilding process.

Now, the village is yet starting to amusement signs of being a assemblage again, with some radical moving location and a fewer businesses opening backmost up.

The changes are giving radical similar O'Connor anticipation that the colony could erstwhile again beryllium a vibrant portion of the Fraser Canyon. She said the colony assembly has approved a development licence for a pharmacy, and the section Legion and a trade store are successful the process of being rebuilt.

The colony is besides moving guardant connected a assemblage hub that is acceptable to location amenities similar a excavation and, potentially, a library.

"That's truthful breathtaking ... things are happening," O'Connor said.

But it's inactive dilatory going. 

According to O'Connor, only 9 rebuilt homes are occupied successful the village, with different 9 acceptable to beryllium move-in acceptable successful the adjacent fewer months. That's a tiny information of the 112 Lytton homes and businesses that were afloat destroyed by the wildfire. 

WATCH | O'Connor speaks to rebuild challenges connected wildfire's 3rd anniversary: 

The reconstruction is being done by builders similar John May. 

He started enactment successful the colony close aft the fire, archetypal with cleanable up and past with the construction of caller homes. His squad has built two homes connected the adjacent Lytton First Nation, wherever dozens of homes and businesses were burned down, and 3 wrong the municipality. 

When May archetypal brought his squad from South Pier Frameworks up from Coquitlam, helium said helium didn't recognize conscionable however galore radical from Lytton helium would end up moving with.

"That made america portion of the community," helium said.

It besides kept him invested successful the rebuild.

After helium wraps up at the mayor's house, his squad volition beryllium finishing up enactment connected the section Legion gathering and starting enactment connected a trade business. May hopes he'll beryllium capable to instrumentality connected aboriginal builds wrong the colony too. 

"To travel done erstwhile it was conscionable rubble and fences to wherever it is present is uplifting. It shows that there's anticipation for a aboriginal here."

Museum acceptable to reopen

Just a fewer blocks distant from O'Connor's home, the Lytton Chinese History Museum is acceptable to reopen connected Main Street.

When the wildfire ripped done the village, depository enforcement manager Lorna Fandrich wasn't definite she would rebuild. She said the gathering was underinsured and she was preparing to discontinue astatine the clip of the fire.

But she decided to proceed on.

"First off, I didn't privation to beryllium 1 of the businesses successful Lytton that near ... I didn't privation to fto the municipality down. But the 2nd 1 was, I had got truthful overmuch enactment from the community."

Fandrich said she received astir $150,000 successful donations, arsenic good arsenic astir 700 artifacts donated from the Chinese assemblage crossed Canada, to regenerate the 1,600 items destroyed successful the wildfire.

With those items, she's been capable to recreate the wrong of the depository successful a astir identical mode to what was determination earlier the fire, with 1 summation — a azygous lawsuit dedicated to artifacts that survived the flames, like pottery with bits of melted glass.

"It's a precise tiny area, and I chose to bash that conscionable due to the fact that the occurrence and demolition of this gathering is portion of the story, but it's specified a tiny portion of the story."

Fandrich has arranged a expansive opening for May 3, wherever radical who donated items, on with dignitaries and members of the public, volition beryllium capable to research the space.

As for O'Connor, she's conscionable enjoying being capable to slumber successful her ain furniture and look retired astatine her aged view.

"It smells caller erstwhile you locomotion successful here. It conscionable feels truthful good."