Mayor Says “Whole Town Is On Fire” After Record-Breaking Heatwave
LYTTON WILDFIRE – The Mayor of Lytton, British Columbia said that “the whole town is on fire” after it had record-breaking temperatures three days in a row.
Because of the heatwave, a massive wildfire spread from the forests to the town causing 250 residents to evacuate. According to reports, the town recorded a whopping 49.6°C heatwave that caused hillside forests to burn down.
Eventually, the fire spread to nearby communities with many leaving their possessions behind as the flames razed their town. Here is a video from a resident from the area:
Based on reports from News1130, the town suffered 90% structural damage due to the fire. Furthermore, the area’s MP Brad Vis said that the entire village has burned down, including the center of the town.
Residents shared video of burning buildings and automobiles just yards away on social media as they tried to leave, with footage also showing metres-high flames on either side of the route out of town. Officials are striving to account for all people, so it’s unclear if there were any casualties.
“It’s dire. The whole town is on fire. It took, like, a whole 15 minutes from the first sign of smoke to, all of a sudden, there being fire everywhere.”, said Mayor Jan Polderman.
A regional district official told Global News on Thursday, July 1, that the fire may have been ignited by a train passing through the area. As the state continues to battle with “record” severe temperatures, multiple wildfires have erupted in British Columbia.
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