Wildfire closest to Lytton, B.C., being held — but fire north of village grows

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 02, 2025 7:39 PM EDT | Last Updated: 31 minutes ago

A wildfire burning closest to Lytton, B.C., is not expected to turn beyond existent perimeters, starring to evacuation orders being rescinded successful the area.

The affirmative quality was reported by those warring the Nikaia Creek fire, which covers an country of conscionable nether six hectares crossed the Fraser River from Lytton.

However, the Izman Creek wildfire northbound of the colony has grown importantly implicit the past 2 days. As a result, Highway 12 remains closed to astir postulation betwixt Lillooet and Lytton.

The Izman Creek fire covers an country of 100 hectares as of 3:40 p.m. PT Wednesday, quadrupling successful size from 25 hectares recorded connected Tuesday night.

For those closest to the Fraser Canyon colony of Lytton, an evacuation bid covering 2 properties was rescinded by the Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) connected Wednesday arsenic firefighters made advancement connected the Nikaia Creek fire.

"We anticipation that the nationalist caput is enactment astatine easiness knowing that this is present being held, and that crews are engaging successful mop-up activities," said B.C. Wildfire Service accusation serviceman Taylor Stewart Shantz connected Wednesday morning.

Lytton First Nation Chief Niakia Hanna told CBC News connected Wednesday day that the federation would apt beryllium calling down its ain evacuation alert aft occurrence crews had made assessments.

Hanna acknowledged determination was a "heightened level of concern" successful the country fixed a deadly 2021 wildfire that all but destroyed the colony of Lytton and caused harm to the Lytton First Nation.

"Knowing that we person capable resources and capable effect times to the fires present ... has created a abstraction to springiness immoderate comfortableness to our members that we instrumentality occurrence seriously," helium told CBC News.

An evacuation bid means residents should permission immediately, whereas an evacuation alert means residents should hole to evacuate their homes with small to nary notice. 

Fire northbound of Lytton balloons successful size

Shantz said the crews dealing with the Izman Creek wildfire were facing challenging conditions, which meant they couldn't combat it head-on and would person to usage indirect onslaught methods connected Wednesday.

"We saw implicit 30 C successful somesthesia yesterday, and not a batch of betterment overnight," she said. "We've besides seen beauteous decent winds done the occurrence centre, and that's expected to proceed for the adjacent mates of days."

Both fires adjacent Lytton are suspected to person been caused by quality activity, with astir of the surrounding portion under a precocious oregon utmost occurrence information rating, according to the province.

"We do promote the nationalist to prosecute cautiously with the outdoors, particularly fixed our existent occurrence information rating," Shantz said.

"It conscionable allows america to beryllium capable to much efficaciously assets those lightning-caused fires erstwhile we don't person arsenic galore human-caused fires to besides beryllium responding to."

Highway 12 is lone unfastened to section postulation betwixt Lillooet and Lytton arsenic a effect of the blaze.

The occurrence has resulted successful 3 properties adjacent to the road being put connected evacuation order and 9 different properties being put on evacuation alert by the TNRD. The Lytton First Nation has besides issued evacuation alerts for 3 properties on the highway.

Hanna said the First Nation was successful talks with officials astir providing exigency entree on the route, fixed galore indispensable services were being blocked disconnected owed to the road closure.

There are conscionable implicit 80 wildfires burning successful B.C. arsenic of 3:50 p.m. PT, astir of which were caused by lightning.