It has been four years since a wildfire devastated the community of Lytton in the Fraser Canyon. The fire started a day after the town set national temperature records for hitting almost 50 C.
The blaze killed two and forced 300 people to flee to safety.
Four years later and it has taken more than a village to get their homes back. Work has been halted multiple times due to the chance of artifacts being found and archeological finds. Reconstruction of buildings was also delayed due to questions about funding.
Communities across B.C. have come together to help the town rebuild. Fundraisers included a nine-year-old from Chilliwack setting up a lemonade stand to donate to the victims and a charity hockey game was played to fundraise for the Lytton Fire Department.
Three years later, Lytton still rebuilding after devastating wildfire
In December 2023, rebuilds finally started, after almost three Christmases out of their homes, victims of the fire finally had some hope.
In a message posted on June 26, the Mayor of Lytton, Denise O’Connor, said that nearly a quarter of pre-fire buildings have been given building permits. Core buildings such as grocery stores, banks, hotels, pharmacies have not been rebuilt. She also included that a temporary pharmacy, medical clinic and bank have opened outside the village.
“We continue to feel frustrated with delays related to archaeological work plans and the shortages of approved archaeologists and monitors to oversee work in Lytton,” O’Connor wrote in the message.
“There are many processes that have caused undue hardship in Lytton in the aftermath of the fire. We hope that communities like Jasper benefit from support to expedite recovery and rebuilding following their 2024 wildfire.”
RCMP launched an investigation into the cause of the fire but last September they concluded that there was “no evidence to suggest the fire was intentionally set by the actions, or inactions, of any individual(s),” according to a statement at the time.