British Columbia fires Lytton residents had to flee speed

(Lytton) A press release published by the authorities of the village of Lytton, ravaged a week ago by a forest fire, describes the crazy speed with which the fire has spread, leaving very little time to residents to flee.The fire left at least two dead.

Village staff were alerted to the fire when someone hit the administration windows after office hours, the press release said.Municipal staff then called the mayor Jan Polderman and the volunteer firefighters, to then realize that the firefighters were already fighting the flames that destroyed the center of the village.

Likewise, police from the Royal Canada Gendarmerie (RCMP) already evacuated residents along a city center street when Mayor Polderman called 9-1-1-1.The mayor then contacted the administration of the regional district of Thompson-Nicola to announce that he ordered a complete evacuation of the village.

The press release adds that the weather was extremely dry last Wednesday and that a violent wind fuels the blaze, which has so far shaved 77 square kilometers of forests and bush - and which is still not controlled.In addition to the two confirmed deaths, the press release indicates that there were several injured in Lytton."We want everyone to know that their bravery was incredible in the face of this unimaginable horror," said the statement, published a week after the fire.

The absolute priority of the village authorities is now to locate and support residents, the press release said.Anyone is asked to know someone who was in Lytton last Wednesday to contact the RCMP if he has not heard from him since the evacuation.

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Master sergeant Janelle Shoiet said that the RCMP could not specify for the moment the number of people who could be missing.

The fire destroyed the equipment of the Lytton emergency operations center and the staff are now trying to work with "some laptops, an iPad and our cellular" in a regional district office in Kamloops, the press release saidLytton.

Certain properties on the east side of Route 1 have been spared, but the press release from the village of Lytton indicates that public services - electricity, drinking water, sewers - are cut.Furthermore, all infrastructures that have not "melted, burned or have not been damaged irreparable" are too dangerous to be used now, indicate the authorities of the.

"For those who look at images from our village, who break the heart, please understand that if a wall is standing, that does not mean that there is something behind.»»

Visits Friday?

A passage has been made and the regional district organized bus shuttles to bring residents to the village of residents on Friday that would like to see the extent of the damage, the press release said.But it will not be possible until the provincial forest protection company against fire will not be sure that there is no danger of fire or other risks to public security.

Village authorities work with psychosocial support services in the event of a provincial health ministry disaster. « Mais nous sommes Lytton, nous sommes forts et nous reconstruirons nos maisons et nos entreprises, nous raviverons nos amitiés et notre communauté, plus forts et plus durables que jamais»», indique le communiqué.

Tests and in -depth evaluation will also be necessary to verify the condition of the Lytton watershed and determine whether it has been contaminated by fireproof products.Electric and telephone services already assess damage in the village. Par contre, le communiqué indique que les trains du CN et du CP « n’auront aucun accès»» à Lytton, sauf pour utiliser des véhicules ferroviaires afin de lutter contre des incendies sur leurs emprises respectives»».

Forrest Tower, an information agent at the provincial forest protection company against fire, said on Wednesday that the number of firefighters assigned to Lytton Creek fire is expected to increase to around 150 by Thursday, while 40 firefightersNew Brunswick foresters will join the British Columbia teams.The fire has stabilized in the past two days, while the temperature has dropped a little compared to last week's records, said Mr..Tower during a telephone interview. Environnement Canada a toutefois publié des avertissements d’orages violents pour certaines parties du sud de la « région intérieure»» de la province, y compris Lytton, a-t-il rappelé.

This fire could have been caused by human activity, but the agency's investigation is underway, he said, citing for example camp and cars fires, but also sparks from equipmentlogging or railways.

Le site web de l’agence provinciale répertorie 14 « feux importants»» en Colombie-Britannique, qui présentent des risques réels ou potentiels pour la sécurité. La société de protection des forêts contre le feu gère plus de 200 « incendies actifs»», la plupart dans le sud de la « région intérieure»» de la province, où la foudre demeure une menace constante.

Environnement Canada has raised all extreme heat warnings in this province, although opinions on air quality linked to forest fires remain in force in a large part of British Columbia.