{"id":748879,"date":"2026-06-20T06:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T06:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/748879\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T06:00:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T06:00:18","slug":"evacuation-orders-issued-near-lytton-as-highway-1-closed-by-wildfire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/748879\/","title":{"rendered":"Evacuation orders issued near Lytton as Highway 1 closed by wildfire"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Evacuation orders were issued late Friday near Lytton, B.C., due to a wildfire.<\/p>\n

Evacuation alerts are also in place for residents of Lytton as well as some members of the Lytton First Nation due to the Saw Creek wildfire.<\/a> <\/p>\n

The fire is burning around three kilometres south of the village, leading to the closure of Highway 1 nearby, and covered an area of 200 hectares as of 10 p.m. PT.<\/p>\n

In an order issued<\/a> just after 10:10 p.m. PT on Friday, the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) told the occupants of 13 addresses in a sparsely-populated area east of Highway 1 to leave immediately.<\/p>\n

Shae Stearns, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said just before 8 p.m. PT that the fire was burning close to the highway and nearby structures.<\/p>\n

“Hot and dry conditions have been present throughout the day and throughout the past couple days,” she said.<\/p>\n

“So it has made fuels highly susceptible to ignition. So we are expecting additional growth on that size as well.”<\/p>\n

Stearns said the fire is suspected to have been caused by human activity.<\/p>\n

\"PlumesThe Saw Creek wildfire south of Lytton, B.C., is seen on June 19, 2026. It has resulted in the closure of Highway 1 nearby. (B.C. Wildfire Service)<\/p>\n

An evacuation alert has been issued for residents of Lytton<\/a>, as well as for residents of the Lytton First Nation<\/a> north of the Klahkamich 17 reserve.<\/p>\n

Evacuation alerts say residents should be ready to leave at a moment’s notice, but are not evacuation orders, which mean residents should leave immediately.<\/p>\n

Stearns said that aerial resources were helping ground crews battling the fire on Friday night, with structure protection specialists also pressed into action.<\/p>\n

The Lytton First Nation has issued an Evacuation Alert for residents located north of Klahkamich 17 due to the Saw Creek #BCWildfire<\/a>. There is no need to evacuate now, but be prepared to do so on short notice if an evacuation order is issued. If an evacuation order is issued,\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/KdJStUrolI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014EmergencyInfoBC<\/a><\/p>\n

DriveBC said that Highway 1 was closed in both directions just after 6 p.m. PT between Ashcroft and Boston Bar due to the fire.<\/p>\n

Commuters have been told to take the Coquihalla Highway or Highway 97C as alternate routes.<\/p>\n

DriveBC said there was no estimated reopening time for the stretch of Highway 1 in the Fraser Canyon, as of 9 p.m. PT on Friday.<\/p>\n

The Village of Lytton was all but destroyed in a June 2021 wildfire that was sparked amid record heat.<\/p>\n

Rebuilding progress has been slow<\/a> in the village in the years since.<\/p>\n

WATCH | Calls to brace for wildfire season:\"\"<\/p>\n

Provincial officials warn British Columbians to brace for an intense wildfire season<\/p>\n

Provincial officials are warning British Columbians to brace for an intense wildfire season as B.C. is much drier than normal. As the CBC’s Jon Hernandez reports, above-average temperatures in the forecast are expected to make conditions more challenging.<\/p>\n

As of 9:30 p.m. PT, there were 16 active wildfires in B.C. \u2014 with the Saw Creek wildfire the only “fire of note,” a designation which means it is particularly visible or poses a threat to public safety.<\/p>\n

The B.C. Wildfire Service said in a Thursday update that the central and southern portions of the province are set to be hot and dry over the weekend, with wind expected on Friday and Saturday.<\/p>\n

“The northern half of the province will experience some precipitation and some cooling this weekend, but on Sunday, temperatures will rise again province-wide,” the update reads.<\/p>\n