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Lytton wildfire now 60 per cent contained; evacuation orders rescinded

Click to play video: 'Lytton wildfire leads to evacuation order Wednesday night'
Lytton wildfire leads to evacuation order Wednesday night
WATCH: Crews are battling a wildfire near Lytton. Global Okanagan's Doris Bregolisse gives an update – Sep 1, 2016

UPDATE: Sept. 5 at 7:30 a.m. – A wildfire burning two kilometres south of Lytton is now 60 per cent contained.

BC Wildfire Service says the fire that started on Wednesday is about 532 hectares in size. No new growth has occurred in the last 12 hours.

WATCH: Dr. Rosalin Miles from the Lytton First Nation Band talks to BC1 about what’s happening in the area. 

Click to play video: 'Lytton wildfires forces evacuations for South Spencer Road area'
Lytton wildfires forces evacuations for South Spencer Road area

Structural protection units have been deployed to protect homes in the evacuation area. At this time the fire is moving away from structures.

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Earlier this week, the Lytton First Nation issued an Evacuation Alert for 17 homes and an Evacuation Order for nine homes. The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has issued an Evacuation Alert for 24 homes and an Evacuation Order for two homes.

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The evacuation orders in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District have been rescinded as of 3 p.m. today. The Lytton First Nation is also expected to rescind its evacuation orders as well.

An Evacuation Alert remains in effect for the area between the CN train bridge in Lytton north to the Stein River.

Lytton First Nations band administrator Dr. Rosalin Miles said some livestock has been set free and one barn has been lost in the fire.

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“[Wednesday] night it was quite the fire show,” says Miles. “The whole hillside was up in flames and it was getting fairly close to some houses.”

Eighty-two firefighters, three helicopters and two airtankers are in the area to battle the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it’s believed to be human caused.

– With files from The Canadian Press

See the evacuation map below: 

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