when was lytton fire?

In the days leading up to the fire, the community — home to about 250 people — had set heat records for the entire country, reaching as high as 49.6 C. The grass was dry, and the air was torrid.

In a matter of hours, the town burned to the ground, leaving behind a few structures, mostly charred metal and bricks.

A year later, not much has changed.

Fabian Duncan bounced around from place to place in different communities over the past year, he says. Now he's back on Lytton First Nation land. The Nation has 56 reserves along the Fraser River, located in and around the Village of Lytton.

Duncan, who saw the fire ignite, says he still struggles with the emotional impact the fire had on him and his loved ones.

"There was smoke everywhere and the flames were knee-high," he said.

"It was not normal. I just told my buddy that we gotta get out of here."

He says he hopes everyone who lost their homes will be able to rebuild and return to the area.

"A lot of my peoples lost everything they worked hard for."

The cleanup and rebuilding of Lytton has been a slow, arduous process that's left some residents wondering if they'll ever be able to return home.

"Why is this not cleaned up yet? Why is this taking so long?" Denise O'Connor asked when she took CBC on a tour last week of what used to be her home.

"I want a home back again."

After staying in hotels and motels in Kamloops and Merritt, and moving in with her daughter in Quesnel over the last year, O'Connor now lives in her childhood home on the south side of Highway 1, where structures were untouched by the blaze.

But for 30 years before the fire, O'Connor lived in a house in the heart of Lytton.

She says she's become more involved in municipal council meetings and feels like the community has become a political pawn.

She worries the delayed rebuild is purely bureaucratic.

The village has said it hopes residents will have access to their properties, or what's left of them, to start rebuilding by the end of September — about 15 months after the fire.

But Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman expects it could be up to eight years before the community is fully rebuilt.

"I'm concerned people will establish lives elsewhere," he said.

Lorna Fandrich and her husband, Bernie, plan to rebuild Lytton's Chinese History Museum, which they opened in 2017.

The couple lost hundreds of artifacts in the fire but say they intend to rebuild as soon as possible.

"One year after the fire, our life in Lytton is quite [different]," Fandrich said.

"For many people, life isn't that easy. They're unsure what their future will be."

Ideally, she says, assessments and demolition in the village will be complete by fall — otherwise the rebuild will have to wait until spring.

"The more time passes between reconstruction and the fire, the more difficult it will be for [residents] to come and resettle in Lytton," Bernie told Radio-Canada.

He said he's disappointed with the pace of recovery.

"It has been frustratingly slow."

Earlier this month, the federal government announced $77 million to go toward rebuilding the village, including more fire-resistant buildings.

The provincial government has committed more than $49 million to the rebuild. Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth expects rebuilding to commence in September this year.

Polderman has said that without that public funding for infrastructure, a rebuild would be "impossible."

"The last year hasn't been a pleasant experience," Polderman said.

"I don't think anyone has the experience or expertise to deal with a situation like ours."

In a report released Thursday, the TSB said its investigation could find no link between trains and the wildfire.

The wildfire that sparked on June 30 burned about 90 per cent of the community of Lytton, in southern B.C.

Two people were killed in the massive blaze.

The Lytton First Nation and Thompson-Nicola Regional District have both suggested the possibility that a train was responsible for the fire, and several witnesses have described seeing train fires in the area of Lytton ahead of the tragic incident.

Ryan Marander told Global News he saw a train on fire at Lytton between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. the day the community burned.

“We saw a train up on a trestle, which was kind of in between the freeway and Lytton, and the train was stopped and underneath one of the flat deck cars, which looked like it was carrying wrapped lumber, we saw fire underneath one of the cars — looked to be maybe four feet in diameter or something at the base,” he said.

Another witness called 911 when he saw a southbound train on fire about 44 kilometres south of Lytton the same afternoon, just outside Boston Bar.

Both CN Rail and CP Rail pledged to cooperate with any investigation into the fire, and pledged financial support for Lytton residents.

CN promised $1.5 million while CP Rail, which also runs through Lytton, pledged $1 million.

Residents of Lytton remain scattered in hotels, with family, or in the handful of homes still standing in the community.

A timeline or exact details of when residents can begin to return is still unclear at this time.

With files from Simon Little and Elizabeth McSheffrey

The Lytton Fire, also known as the Lytton Creek Fire,[2] was a wildfire that burned on June 30, 2021 just south of the village of Lytton in the interior of British Columbia, Canada. The fire destroyed much of Lytton and caused two civilian fatalities, announced July 3.[4] Several missing residents, still unaccounted for at that time, were later located.[5] The fire, one of the 2021 British Columbia wildfires throughout the province, was facilitated by the 2021 Western North America heat wave.

At the time of the fire, Lytton had a population of about 250 with another 1,500 to 2,000 First Nations residents living nearby on reserves affected as well.[6]

The wildfire started in the early evening of June 30, 2021. The village had been setting Canadian temperature records in the previous days, including reaching 49.6 °C (121.3 °F) the previous day, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada.[7][8] Under hot, dry conditions, winds of up to 71 kilometres per hour (44 mph) pushed the fire north into the community, and the fire may have been moving at 10 to 20 km/h.[9] Volunteer firefighters tackled the fire and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) began to evacuate residents near the fire.[10] As the fire advanced, propane tanks exploded. Winds thwarted firefighting efforts by blowing hose water away from the fire.[11] The fire swept through the village within minutes, forcing the hasty evacuation of its residents without any time to collect belongings. Mayor Jan Polderman issued an evacuation order at 6:00 PM.[12][6] Some residents notified local shop owners of the impending danger so they could flee.[11] Lytton First Nation had an evacuation plan and quickly carried it out on short notice without assistance from provincial authorities.[11][failed verification]

There were three evacuation routes from the village:

Both the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 12 were closed to non-evacuee traffic minutes prior to Lytton's evacuation order being issued.[13][14]

By July 2, the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops First Nation) had opened their powwow grounds to assist in accounting for band members fleeing from the fire.[15]

The fire destroyed 90 percent of the village, killed two people and forced the evacuation of nearby First Nations communities.[16] On July 1, local MP Brad Vis made a Facebook post stating that there were reports of several injuries in addition to the two deaths.[17][9]

Nearly every house within the village was destroyed. Some houses across the highway from the village were spared, but were cut off from electricity, sewer and water services. The village's watershed may have been contaminated by chemicals used to fight the fire, and the ruins may pose the risk of toxic chemical exposure.[10] The fire largely leveled Lytton's Main Street, burning the post office, ambulance station, health centre, RCMP detachment, Lytton Hotel,[18] and the Lytton Village Office. The Lytton Chinese History Museum was lost, along with 1,600 artifacts, museum archives and library.[19][20][21] Residents of the village and its surrounding area lost their homes. The railway and highway were also damaged.[22] The Insurance Bureau of Canada reported $78 million of insured damage.[3] St. Barnabas Anglican Church had minor damage but was not burned.[23]

As of October 2021, the cause of the wildfire was undetermined and disputed.[3] The suspected causes were a lightning strike,[24] train activity[25][26] or activity inside the community.[6]

Multiple residents blamed CN and its mainline through the community, "saying that they saw sparks coming from a passing train at the same time the fire started."[27] Some indigenous leaders publicly said that sparks from a passing train might have started the fire.

The Nlaka'pamux Nation Tribal Council (NNTC) is a tribal association of five First Nations affected by the fire, including Lytton First Nation. While affiliated with the NNTC, Lytton First Nation directly provides and administers all services to its members.[29][30][15] Investigations began, by the RCMP and the Transportation Safety Board (TSB). Railways are required to inform the TSB of any fires along their rail lines, and the TSB received no such report.[31] The BC Wildfire Service said the fire appeared to have been caused by humans rather than lightning, but did not specify a cause.[6]

The TSB opened an investigation into whether a train had caused the Lytton wildfire. In 2020, Canadian National Railway lost an appeal and had to pay $16 million in costs and penalties for causing the Cisco Road fire 10km south of Lytton in June 2015.[32][33] An investigation of the Cisco fire concluded that rail workers cutting a line, at a time when the fire danger rating in the Lytton area was "extreme", had sparked the blaze, which burned for months and caused multiple evacuations.[34][35]

The RCMP also started an investigation of the Lytton fire, focusing on two areas. One area is a 2km area in nearby Boston Bar. In Lytton, police are focusing on a 1km radius containing a parking lot and park area, near a combined foot and rail bridge across the Fraser River, seeking to identify movements of people, vehicles and trains.[36]

CN Rail responded to a video that showed one of its trains on fire by saying that the train in that video was 45 kilometres south of Lytton and the smoke seen in the video was from a different fire, one that was already burning. They said in a statement that the train in the video had passed through Lytton uneventfully several hours before the fire.[28]

Initially, Transport Canada did not impose any additional restrictions on railways in the area, saying it was up to the railways to ensure safety.[37] However, on July 11, Transport Canada imposed new restrictions to remain in effect until October 31, 2021. Railway speed was to be reduced in areas of extreme fire risk in order to reduce the risk of sparks from wheel friction and train brakes. Also, railways had to implement additional fire protection measures such a 60-minute response time for dealing with track-side fires, 10 fire-spotting patrols per day and making train conductors responsible for spotting fires.

By mid October 2021, the Transportation Safety Board ended its investigation concluding that it had found no evidence that the wildfire was caused by railway activity. However, the TSB also says that the lack of evidence does not 100 percent rule out a train being the cause. The BC Wildfire Service and the RCMP indicated they were continuing to investigate.[3]

By May 2022, the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction released a report indicating that the Lytton fire department had no realistic chance of stopping the fire because the village was full of combustible material lying within 30 metres (98 ft) of structures. Although the report did not specify how the fire was ignited, it said a number of ground fires spread out from near the CN railway tracks creating a swarm of burning embers. The combination of dry fuel in the village and high winds made the wildfire catastrophic. The town's buildings, including combustible sheds and outbuildings, were too close together, thus facilitating the spread of the fire.[38]

Nlaka'pamux Nation Tribal Council chair Chief Matt Pasco told media outlets that the provincial government and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District had failed to co-ordinate evacuations and resources with the First Nations threatened by the fire.[39] When the government contacted Pasco, he said, it was about the health of cattle on his ranch, rather than of First Nations residents who had had to flee.[15]

British Columbia Premier John Horgan had to answer criticism about the province's response to the crisis.[clarification needed] First Nation leaders complained that the province hampered evacuation due to poor communications and by not providing sufficient support for evacuees. Chief Janet Webster of the Lytton First Nation said that the province should have immediately declared a state of emergency.[37]

First Nations objected to the resumption of railway service in the area due to speculation that a spark from a train caused the fire. They threatened a blockade of local rail lines.[16] On July 5, Canadian Pacific Railway had resumed rail service through Lytton First Nation, but Canadian National Railway had not as its line was more heavily damaged by the fire.[37]

By October 2021, volunteers associated with the British Columbia Heritage Emergency Recovery Network (HERN) had combed through the burnt ruins of the Lytton Chinese History Museum to recover artifacts. Of the 1,600 artifacts stored in the museum, 200 were recovered including 40 in good condition. HERN also examined the site of the Lytton Museum and Archives where a pile of magazines survived the fire with their edges charred but contents still readable. Bulldozers were expected to raze the remains of the buildings in late October.[40]

In November 2021, the provincial government gave a $1 million grant to the Village of Lytton as it had no tax base with the village mostly destroyed. The grant was to pay municipal staff and to restart the local economy. The November 2021 Pacific Northwest floods have stalled reconstruction efforts in Lytton by cutting off most highway access to the village. The business district was still lined by fenced-off, burnt-out establishments.[41]

In May 2022, Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman hoped that the village could start rebuilding in September 2022. He planned to enact new bylaws to require fire-resistant materials in new buildings such as non-flammable siding and roofing materials, and to keep combustibles such as vegetation, sheds and wood piles at a safe distance from buildings.[38] The federal government promised $6 million to rebuild to fire-resistant standards. However, many residents balked at the extra estimated $5,000 to fireproof houses. Also some fireproof materials would be harder to source. Thus, Denise O’Connor, Polderman's successor as mayor, along with city councilors decided to relax standards to facilitate rebuilding.[42]

Nearly two months later, a site examination was initiated and conducted by the British Columbia FireSmart Committee to understand what exactly led to this disaster and what we could learn from it. The answers are detailed in “An examination of the Lytton, British Columbia wildland-Urban fire destruction” (the Lytton report), which was commissioned by FireSmart BC and published by the Institute of Catastrophic Loss Reduction (ICLR) in May of this year.

Before we proceed, let’s start by defining a term used in the title of and throughout the report: “wildland-urban (WU) fire.” “Wildland” refers to burning wildland fuels initiating simultaneous ignitions across wide areas of a community. “Urban” refers to burning structures as a principal source of community fire spread. The authors of the report, Jack D. Cohen, PhD., and Alan Westhaver, M.Sc., opted for WU fire instead of the more common term, “wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire” because home destruction during wildfires is not determined by geographical proximity (interface) to undeveloped land, like forests. WU without “interface” is a more appropriate reference to how WU fire disasters occur, assessing community ignition vulnerabilities, and how to effectively create ignition resistant communities for preventing WU fire disasters.

Why is this important? Well, there is a common misconception that wildfires start in forests, spread through tree canopies (a “crown fire”), and eventually reach communities, engulfing them in a wall of flames. Although extreme wildfires are inevitable, WU fire disasters are not. And, sadly, Lytton was a victim of the latter.

According to the report, a surface fire burned along the ground in dead grass, dry shrubs, and accumulations of leaf, needle litter, and other flammable debris—and it remained a surface fire without producing the large flames of a crown fire. But, due to high wind speed, high temperature, and low relative humidity, the fire quickly developed into four separate paths that moved simultaneously toward the boundaries of Lytton and the surrounding communities, exposing it to embers and heat.

It’s at this point in the WU fire sequence when the damage can be slowed, so long as properties and structures aren’t vulnerable to ignition. Fewer ignitions early on allows crews to be more effective on the ground. In Lytton’s case, though, at least 20 structures, mostly homes, were already burning an hour after the first report of fire.

Wind-driven embers then caused rapid structure-to-structure ignitions between sheds, homes, and businesses without further influence from burning wildland fuels. What this demonstrates is that, like most WU fire disasters in North America, the situation in Lytton was worsened by an abundance of fuel sources within the community.

Think of embers like snowflakes. Typically, as they fall, they begin to pile at the edges and corners of structures. And when they do, their ability to ignite things increases. But in order to ignite a structure, embers must make contact and accumulate on a flammable surface. During WU fires, structure ignitions are usually determined by the conditions of the home ignition zone (HIZ)—a 30-metre area around a structure and its flammable attachments.

WU fire disasters are a structure ignition problem. The rapid fire spread in Lytton was a result of not only highly vulnerable ignition conditions within HIZs, but also overlapping HIZs. In fact, the authors of the report attributed 90 percent of the total destruction to overlapping HIZs, dense with structures and highly ignitable materials in their immediate surroundings.

Miraculously, some homes survived. The report examines one house, in particular, which did not burn because the requirements for sustained ignition were insufficient. The surviving house showed no sign of burning within its HIZ, and, thanks to its neighbours’ non-flammable exterior walls, which confined flames and radiation to the interior of their homes, no structure-to-structure flame ignition occurred.

What happened in Lytton could happen to many communities in B.C. Right now, across Canada, there are 62,000 communities at risk. The good news is: working together, we can practically and effectively address WU fire disasters as a structure ignition problem and create ignition resistant communities. As the report concludes, “Ignition resistant HIZs and communities of the future can sufficiently reduce structure ignitions to enable successful community fire protection and thereby prevent WU fire disasters.” Ignition-resistant communities also allow First Nations to perform local cultural burning and wildland fire managers to conduct ecologically appropriate prescribed burning without the threat of WU fire destruction.

There are those things we can’t control, like the weather and how the climate is affecting wildfire behaviour. But we can control the vulnerability of our own properties. So, individuals and communities should focus on reducing the chances of homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure going up in flames.

If your community needs inspiration on becoming more FireSmart, look no further than Lytton today. They have begun to rebuild themselves into a model FireSmart community. Speaking on the CBC radio show “As it Happens” last July, Councillor John Hogan of the Lytton First Nation said,  “We want the whole country to learn from this. We have to get ourselves ready and get things in place to help communities resist fire threats and disasters.”

Guided by the report’s recommendations for recovery, rebuilding, and maintenance, Lytton is taking crucial steps to enhance fire resiliency, making it their top priority. Some of those steps include: adopting the “National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires” for the construction, reconstruction, and renovation of new and damaged homes; staffing the local fire department with a full-time FireSmart Coordinator to lead community education and engagement programs for residents and property owners; and enrolling all Lytton-area neighbourhoods in the FireSmart Canada Neighbourhood Recognition Program (FCNRP).

Although motivated by its objective to assist Lytton area citizens, the following FireSmart recommendations from the report are applicable to, and should be followed by, everyone.

Start from your home and work your way out. Changes made to the area closest to your home, and your home itself, have the greatest potential to reduce the risk of fire damage.

Assess your roof for areas in which debris and embers may collect, and clean it regularly of combustible materials such as leaves and branches. Use fire-resistant or fire-retardant roofing, like metal, asphalt, clay and composite rubber tiles. Untreated wood shakes create a dangerous combination of combustible material and crevices for embers or firebrands to enter.

Install a spark arrestor on your chimney to reduce the chance of sparks escaping and starting fires. Regularly remove debris from your gutters, since embers can easily ignite dry materials. Also, consider screening gutters with metal mesh to reduce the volume of debris that can accumulate.

Assess your eaves and vents. While vents play a significant role in removing moisture from attics, they create an opening for embers. Consider screening your vents with three-millimetre non-combustible wire mesh. Open eaves also create a surface that can be affected by embers and direct heat. Properly fitted soffits, fascia, blocking, and non-combustible screens help reduce the risk of embers and heat reaching your attic.

Use fire-resistant siding, like stucco, metal siding, brick, concrete, and fibre cement. Logs and heavy timbers are still reasonably effective, but untreated wood and vinyl siding offer very little protection against fire.

Install fire-resistant windows. Tempered, thermal (double-paned) windows are recommended. Single-pane windows offer little resistance to heat from advancing fires.

Ensure exterior doors are fire-rated and have a proper seal. This is also true for garage doors.

Clean under your deck. Sheath the base of your decks, balcony and house with fire-resistant material to reduce the risk of sparks and embers igniting your home. Embers can collect under decks, so be sure to enclose the areas and, more importantly, remove fuel that may accumulate underneath them.

Separate fencing from your home by at least 1.5 metres. Wooden fences and boardwalks create a direct path from a fire to your home. Separating your house from a wooden fence with a metal gate can slow the advance of a fire. Remember to cut the grass along your fence line, since long, dry grass can ignite easily.

Maintain the exterior of your home. Regular maintenance and cleaning the corners and crevices of your home and yard (where needles and debris build up) will leave nothing for embers to ignite.

Don’t forget about outbuildings. Give all sheds and outbuildings within 10 metres of your home the same FireSmart considerations as the main structure.

A FireSmart yard includes smart choices for plants, shrubs, grass and mulch. Selecting fire-resistant plants and materials will increase your home’s chance of surviving a fire.

Plant low-growing, well-spaced, fire-resistant plants and shrubs. Avoid having any woody debris present, including mulch, since it can provide places for fires to start. Make sure that you maintain a 1.5-metre, non-combustible zone around your entire home and any attachments. What is a non-combustible zone? It’s a surface of soil, rock, or stone, with no plants, debris or combustible materials.

Characteristics of fire-resistant plants include: moist, supple leaves; minimal accumulation of dead vegetation; water-like sap that produces little odour; and low amount of sap or resin material.

A mowed lawn is a fire-resistant lawn. Grass shorter than 10 centimetres is less likely to burn intensely. Ensure your lawn is well-hydrated, as dry grass has a higher flammability potential. Lastly, consider a xeriscape yard to reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation.

Do not use bark or pine needle mulches within 10 metres of your home, since they are highly combustible. Gravel mulch and decorative crushed-rock mulch can significantly reduce the risk of fire.

Wood piled against a house is a major fire hazard. Moving your firewood pile may be a key factor that allows your home to survive a fire. Ensure wherever you choose to safely store it is cleaned regularly, since easily ignitable debris often collects here.

Place burn barrels and fire pits as far as possible from structures and trees. Keep the area within three metres of the burn barrel free of combustible material. Always ensure that your burn barrel has proper ventilation and is screened with six-millimetre (or less) wire mesh. Check with your local government about specific requirements and restrictions regarding backyard fire pits. Fire permits for burn barrels and fire pits are required in many jurisdictions.

Every home should have readily accessible fire tools, like shovels, rakes, axes, garden hoses, sprinklers and ladders to assist in suppressing fires.

Power lines should be clear of branches and other vegetation. Contact your local utility company to help remove branches or vegetation around overhead electrical installations.

A FireSmart yard can include trees. We often choose to live surrounded by the natural environment and trees are a cherished part of our relationship with nature. Deciduous (leafy) trees are resistant to fire and include: poplar, birch, aspen, cottonwood, maple, alder, ash, and cherry.

Include debris clean-up in your spring and fall yard maintenance. Dry leaves, twigs and branches are flammable and should be removed from your yard and gutters. Older deciduous trees can have rot and damage that makes them susceptible to fire. An arborist or forester can help you assess the condition of mature trees.

Remove any coniferous trees within 10 metres of your home. Coniferous trees, with cones and needles, like spruce, fir, pine, and cedar are highly flammable. If any of these trees ignite within 10 metres of your home, the direct flames and intense heat can cause damage or even ignite your home.

If you want to learn more about FireSmart landscaping, download the FireSmart Landscaping Guide for tips on how to make a more fire resistant yard.

Space trees at least three metres apart to reduce the risk of fire moving into and spreading between treetops.

Remove smaller coniferous trees that could act as a “ladder” and allow fire to move into the treetops.

Remove branches within two metres of the ground to help stop surface fires from moving into treetops.

​​Prune coniferous trees in the late winter when they are dormant. But you can prune dead branches at any time of year.

Many of the recommendations above assume that you have direct control over the property within 30 metres of your home. If that’s not the case (your HIZ overlaps with a neighbour’s) the FireSmart recommendations still apply. Chat with your neighbours about FireSmart. Shared information, along with mutual co-operation and planning, can help.

The Lytton Fire, also known as the Lytton Creek Fire, was a wildfire that burned on June 30, 2021 just south of the village of Lytton in the interior of British Columbia, Canada.

The BCWS confirmed that between April 1 and September 30 this year, 1,610 wildfires had burned 868,203 hectares (2.145 million acres) across British Columbia. This is in stark contrast to 2019 and 2020 where the total area burned in the province was less than 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres) per season – though both 2017 and 2018 were significant seasons, with over 1.2 million hectares (2.96 million acres), and a record-breaking 1.35 million hectares (3.34 million acres) burned respectively.

The agency confirmed it was challenging because of fire-fighting resource constraints due to COVID-19, and the sheer number of wildfires totaling over 300 at the height of the season. But the major challenge was the “heat dome” which caused the tragedy at Lytton and set the course for the rest of the season.

Extreme Wildfire Risk from the Start of the Season

Extended drought conditions had continued through April into June, and many areas in the province were already on extreme fire hazard ratings when on June 29, 2021, the small town of Lytton in British Columbia, Canada, made it into the country’s record books for the third time in three days.

On Sunday, June 27, the temperature in Lytton reached 46.6 degrees Celsius (116 degrees Fahrenheit). On Monday, it reached 47.7 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit). And then on Tuesday, June 29, Lytton recorded the highest-ever temperature in Canada: 49.4 degrees Celsius (121 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, June 29. Renowned for water sports, Lytton has 250 residents and is located 261 kilometers (162 miles) by road from Vancouver on the 7,821-kilometer (4,860-mile) Trans-Canada Highway, in a valley where the Thompson River meets the Fraser River.

The next day, June 30, numerous fires just north of Lytton combined and ran out of control. Winds of up to 71 kilometers per hour (44 miles per hour) pushed the fire down the valley as fast as 10 to 19 kilometers (6 to 12 miles) per hour. Lytton’s mayor, Jan Polderman, told the media that it was only about 15 minutes between when he smelled smoke and began calling police and regional officials and when the town started going up in flames. By 6 p.m. local time, 90 percent of the town’s structures were destroyed. Around 1,000 residents across the area managed to evacuate to towns further south, but two fatalities were confirmed, and other residents were unaccounted for.

Living Under a Heat Dome

Warnings of a “historic and dangerous heatwave” for the northwestern U.S. and western Canada came from the U.S. National Weather Service and Environment Canada on June 23. By June 25, temperature records were being broken, and Canada was making headlines across the globe as it became stuck under a “heat dome,” with temperatures 11 to 19 degrees Celsius (52 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than usual.

Nighttime temperatures did not give respite and were the same as typical daytime temperatures. The size of this dome was vast, stretching from Oregon to southern Alaska. The heat dome moved slowly east, with temperatures across Canada unusually high for the next two weeks. The sweltering heat also brought its own casualties.

The term “heat dome” stirred global curiosity. According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a heat dome “happens when strong, high-pressure atmospheric conditions combine with influences from La Niña, creating vast areas of sweltering heat that get trapped under the high-pressure dome.” Similar conditions have been seen before in western North America, in 2012 and 2018, and heat waves in Alaska, in 2019.

NOAA also states that the western Pacific’s temperatures have risen over the past few decades as compared to the eastern Pacific, which creates a strong temperature gradient. These pressure differences drive wind across the entire ocean in winter, causing more warm air, heated by the ocean surface, to rise over the western Pacific and decrease convection over the central and eastern Pacific. As prevailing winds move the hot air east, the northern shifts of the jet stream trap the air and move it toward land where it sinks, resulting in heat waves.

The size and intensity of Canada’s heat dome is what made it exceptional. Climate scientists stated that this heat dome would have been “virtually impossible” without climate change.

Heat Domes Exacerbate High Wildfire Risk

Soaring temperatures in themselves do not cause wildfires. It is worth remembering that wildfire activity is not a primary climate change variable but a consequence of weather variables. As temperatures soar, wildfire risk increases due to hot and dry weather, and as high temperatures persisted, the BCWS stated that during the first two weeks of July an average of 40 new wildfires started every day.

The region of the Lytton Fire is no stranger to wildfire, as previous fire footprints over the last 40 years show (Figure 1). What was striking was how wildfires that started just a couple of days before the catastrophe at Lytton had spread so rapidly and were driven into the valley. The Lytton Fire was one event within a backdrop of over 300 fires across British Columbia by July 11.

What turns a wildfire into a catastrophe as seen in Lytton? Catastrophic wildfire risk will occur when hot and dry conditions together with extreme winds such as in this event promote a fast spread of the fire. The Dixie Fire, the largest California wildfire of the 2021 season and the largest-ever single (non-complex) fire at 389,837 hectares (963,308 acres), also accelerated exceptionally quickly.

What can homeowners and the insurance industry do to get prepared and plan for the next inevitable event, whether it is in Canada or the U.S.? With the complete destruction of the area, Lytton is now looking to rebuild as a net-zero community, attracting funding from multiple sources and placing fire resistance at the heart of the rebuild.

As our work with the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) shows, and is reflected in the mitigation modifiers within our wildfire models, some basic steps really help reduce a homeowner’s wildfire risk: implement defensible space around the property, remove flammable materials, and work out an escape plan.

For the insurance industry, events such as Lytton should act as another warning light on the wildfire-risk dashboard. It did not affect solvency for insurers, but it is yet another reminder that wildfire is a mainstream and growing peril. With fire management agencies such as BCWS, and CalFire reporting a season running over three times the five-year average in terms of area burnt – similar to other major perils, the risk needs to be thoroughly understood and managed.