RCMP still investigating cause of Lytton wildfire; extra firefighters on way to B.C.

LYTTON (NEWS 1130) — The B.C. RCMP is still working to assess the impact to the Village of Lytton and neighbouring First Nation after a wildfire ripped through the area on Wednesday.

In a statement released Sunday, Mounties confirmed they were able to enter a few areas in and around Lytton to begin investigating the origin of the fire, along with reported fatalities.

Assisted by the BC Wildfire Service and the BC Coroners Service, RCMP teams did locate two people dead, as confirmed on Saturday evening. According to the statement, the two individuals have now been removed from the location.

“The RCMP wishes to express our condolences to families and friends connect to this tragic loss,” the statement reads.

Read More: ‘I couldn’t stop crying’ Lytton wildfire survivor relieved firefighters located her pets alive and well

Mounties have confirmed that the coroner has since taken over the investigation of the deaths.

While there is speculation that a train may have sparked the devastating fire, which decimated over 90 per cent of the village, Mounties are not confirming such reports at this time.

“The investigation is a priority and remains active and ongoing. We have no timeline on how long it will take, but it will be thorough. We ask everyone for patience and to allow the investigation the time and space to determine the facts,” the statement reads.

Related video: Counting the cost of the devastating wildfire in Lytton, B.C.

In a statement to NEWS 1130, CN Rail says it’s assisting authorities with the investigation.

“The events occurring in Lytton are deeply distressing and we at CN are very concerned for the safety of residents and the impacts of this devastating fire,” the company said on Friday. “We want to offer our support to the people of the First Nation of Lytton and we are committed in assisting this community during this tragic event.

“Pertaining to the impact on our operation, we are evaluating this, but our focus now being the safety and support of the community,” the statement continued. “As for what has caused the fire, the initial review of our operations is that protocols were followed. CN will offer its full assistance to help authorities identify the causes of this tragic incident.”

Speaking to NEWS 1130 Sunday, RCMP Spokesperson Dawn Roberts asked evacuees to make themselves known to authorities.

Read More: Aldergrove donation centre bringing relief to fire crews, evacuees in Lytton

“There are great programs in place, both with Emergency Management BC and the Canadian Red Cross. So first and foremost as an evacuee, you should be registering with the emergency service support services, whether that is at a evacuation center or on their online portal,” Roberts says.

Roberts says although there are no ongoing missing person investigations related to the fire, they are asking for people to come forward if they know of someone who has not been accounted for.

“We’re asking you to please call or attend any RCMP detachment in BC immediately to report that person as missing,” she says.

Extra personnel coming in to B.C. to bolster firefighting effort

Meanwhile, firefighting efforts continued across B.C. Sunday, as hot, dry, and smoky conditions engulfed the Interior.

Four fires are currently classified as “Out of Control”: the Lytton Creek, George Road, Durand Lake, and Sparks Lake wildfires.

Read More: BC Coroner confirms two people dead after Lytton wildfire

Fire information officer Noelle Kekula says incident management teams are on the scene of the three biggest, and other crews are working to contain new fires being reported.

“It’s overwhelming, but it is … manageable. But we have a really strong team here, and a strong team in the Kamloops Fire Center, and our incident management teams are great, specialized. This is what they do, but it’s incredibly busy for us right now,” she says.

She says crews are also working to contain the fires that have been spreading the fastest.

“We have the incident management teams on the three big fires — Sparks, McKay and Lytton Creek. The incident management teams are on them and managing them, so that’s great, and helping us significantly,” she says.

Kekula is also advising against recreational travel, and asking for people to stay out of fire danger areas.

“There’s a lot of area closures. There’s a lot of evacuation alerts in effect right now, so please check websites before you come up,” she says.

Crews arriving in B.C. to help

Meanwhile, fire crews from outside the province will touch down in B.C. on Monday. Arriving in Abbotsford, the personnel are coming in from New Brunswick and Quebec.

The new crew members include 13 support staff and 80 firefighters.

“The request we put in earlier this week will be fulfilled tomorrow, when we see a number of crews arrived from out of province. We’re expecting to see 93 personnel arrive,” says Jean Strong, spokesperson for BC Wildfire Service.

Strong confirmed all new personnel arriving in the province will have to completed COVID-19 testing protocols before being deployed.

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