Lytton Creek wildfire sees major growth

On Sunday night, the BC Wildfire Service estimated that the Lytton Creek fire was approximately 56,000 hectares, as of Monday night, it’s now over 71,000 hectares.

“Today (Aug 16), crews will direct attack the fire along Highway 8 and make it safe for emergency responders out of Merritt. Crews will assess for direct attack options to protect structures along the Nicola River. BCWS will coordinate closely with local jurisdictions to assess fire impacts in the areas of fire growth. Highway 8 is closed from north of Shackan to just north of Canford,” reads the file.

The Lytton fire is responsible for the current evacuation alert for the City of Merritt. The blaze has also forced the Lower Nicola, Nooaitch, and Shackan Bands to issue evacuation orders. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District also evacuated the Lower Nicola area.

The following shows the fire’s perimeter as of Monday night (outlined in red).

credit – BCWS

There is an Incident Management Team in place for the Lytton Creek Complex. There are 28 Structure Protection Personnel and 13 helicopters within the Complex, along with 86 firefighters.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.