Most of the village of Lytton, B.C., is now a smoldering ruin after a fast-moving wildfire burned homes and businesses to the ground Wednesday evening.
Photos submitted to Global News and posted to social media show not only the destruction left behind but also the massive fire itself — some taken as residents fled for safety.
To get a sense of what was lost, here’s a side-by-side comparison of Lytton’s Main Street, showing how it was before the fire and afterwards.
The fire has since grown to 6,400 hectares, according to the BC Wildfire Service, but was already large and out of control by the time it overtook the town.
Residents had just minutes to flee after the village issued an evacuation order at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
B.C. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said at least 1,000 people were evacuated from Lytton and the surrounding areas.
By the time the sun rose again on Lytton, nearly every building was burned to the ground, Farnworth confirmed Thursday — including the local post office, hotel, ambulance centre, RCMP detachment and clinic.
Sources have told Global News an unknown number of injured people were transported by SUV ambulance out of the village Wednesday night.
Several GoFundMe campaigns have been launched to help the people of Lytton. Links to those fundraisers can be found here.
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