Sparks from RCMP trailer ignited wildfire near Lytton, B.C., say police

CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 2:25 PM EDT | Last Updated: 24 minutes ago

Sparks from an RCMP trailer are liable for a wildfire burning adjacent Lytton, B.C., constabulary say. 

The Izman Creek wildfire northbound of the colony began astir 2:20 p.m. PT connected Tuesday, erstwhile the close broadside instrumentality of the trailer flew off, causing sparks to ignite the adust writer ditch.

The occurrence was started a time aft the 4th day of a blaze that destroyed astir of Lytton, and has since grown to 155 hectares arsenic of 4:30 p.m. PT and been upgraded to the lone wildfire of enactment successful the province.

"What appears to person happened is that instrumentality nonaccomplishment of an RCMP trailer resulted successful the accidental ignition of the wildfire," said Sgt. Kris Clark, elder media relations officer for the B.C. RCMP.

"The serviceman did halt instantly and tried to prosecute the flames with their occurrence extinguisher. However, the conditions evidently dispersed the occurrence precise rapidly and they were incapable to incorporate the fire," said Clark.

The trailer was carrying instrumentality for a constabulary dive team that was searching for a missing swimmer successful Seton Lake, astir 100 kilometres northwest of Lytton.

The Izman Creek occurrence covered an country of 130 hectares arsenic of 9:30 a.m. PT Thursday, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service, a much than quadrupling successful size from the 25 hectares recorded connected Tuesday night.

WATCH | Lytton politician watching wildfire concern closely: 

The occurrence was upgraded to a wildfire of enactment on Thursday morning, a class of blazes that means a occurrence is particularly disposable oregon poses a hazard to nationalist safety.

Clark said the B.C. Wildfire Service was instantly notified aft the mishap and crews were rapidly dispatched to combat the fire. 

"It's conscionable different reminder for utmost caution," said Clark. "It doesn't instrumentality overmuch to commencement a occurrence successful our wildfire season. Conditions are adust and, you know, something, thing small, elemental tin cause, you know, a important wildfire."

"I mean, it's conscionable a reminder however rapidly thing similar this tin hap … we've seen a fig of situations wherever we've seen centrifugal conveyance crashes oregon thing similar that where, you know, that person started fires," said Clark.

Car clang occurrence adjacent Merritt

On Sunday, a conveyance crashed on Highway 5A on the northbound extremity of Nicola Lake, conscionable extracurricular of Merritt, and caught fire, igniting a bush adjacent the enarthrosis of the road.

A witnesser said the operator of the conveyance swerved to debar hitting a fox connected the road, constabulary say, nevertheless the operator refused a enactment trial by RCMP and was subsequently issued a driving prohibition by the officer.

There were 85 wildfires burning successful B.C. arsenic of astir 12 p.m. PT Thursday, 34 of which were classified arsenic retired of control, including the Izman Creek fire.

The wildfire work says cool conditions and thunderstorms are successful the forecast for overmuch of the province, bringing a low-to-moderate accidental of lightning.

It says astir 75 per cent of blazes burning in B.C. person been sparked by lightning.

The Izman Creek wildfire has resulted successful 3 properties adjacent to the road being enactment connected evacuation bid and 9 different properties being enactment connected evacuation alert by the TNRD.

The Lytton First Nation has besides issued evacuation alerts for 3 properties on the highway.

The assemblage is inactive successful the process of rebuilding from the 2021 wildfire that killed 2 radical and wiped retired overmuch of the village, arsenic good arsenic portion of the Lytton First Nation.

The B.C. Wildfire Service said 3 helicopters and 3 archetypal onslaught crews person been assigned to the country to incorporate the blaze. 

It said crews volition proceed operation extortion and motorboat indirect onslaught methods. 

There are 2 fires burning successful the Lytton area. The smaller blaze, the Nikaia Creek fire, covered an country of conscionable nether six hectares arsenic of 10 a.m. PT Thursday morning, and was classified arsenic controlled.