Lytton, B.C. rebuild getting $18.4M from province, eight months after catastrophic fire

More than eight months since a wildfire ripped through Lytton, all but destroying the village, the province is contributing $18.4 million to rebuild the community. But some victims feel it’s too little, too late.

Tiffany Callewaert-Haugen’s home in Lytton was destroyed and she says she does not feel supported by the provincial government. She believes it could do a lot more.

“I was kind of disgusted because [Public Safety] Minister [Mike] Farnworth was saying how they’re going to continue to support the community and I don’t feel like they’ve ever supported the community.”

According to Farnworth, one of the reasons for the slow rebuild has been the amount of debris that has to be removed. But Callewaert-Haugen says there has been very little effort to clear it.

“There has been zero debris removal. There were metal structures that were at the health centre and they were taken just below town. My husband works for BC Wildfire and some of them were down there helping the dangerous trees. But that’s all that’s happened in the village.”

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Callewaert-Haugen says she feels disheartened with the lack of effort that has gone into rebuilding the village over the past eight months. She told CityNews that when it snowed, hanging power lines were caught in snow plows, making an already bad situation even worse.

“Nobody’s come to pick this up, and it’s been eight months. It’s all pretty disheartening, especially because we are staying in the village and we see it every day.”

Farnworth says the provincial funding will go towards clearing the site and rebuilding, adding the work will begin next week.

“This will cover the substantial costs of debris removal, archaeological work, and soil remediation for all the uninsured and underinsured properties in the village,” Farnworth said.

Initially, the province had dedicated $8.3 million to rebuild the village, however after inspection, the level of damage exceeded the original budget. Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman has previously said the village was on the verge of going broke before the province provided the $8.3 million.

According to Farnworth, a deputy minister has been appointed to work “hand in hand” with the village throughout the rebuild process. The province is also funding temporary accommodations for as many as 30 staff, consultants and construction workers, who are working to rebuild Lytton.