‘Rocky, steep, inoperable’: Nohomin Creek wildfire near Lytton hard to access

A year after the devastating fire in Lytton, the village is under threat again, with dozens of members of the local First Nation forced to flee their homes. Martin MacMahon with the challenges firefighters and the community face as they take on this wildfire.

By Denise Wong and Sonia Aslam

Posted July 18, 2022 11:02 am.

Last Updated July 18, 2022 6:36 pm.

Winds are expected to pick up near Lytton Monday, as crews try to contain a big wildfire. Only trace amounts of rain is expected, which won’t be enough to make a big impact on the 1,700-hectare Nohomin Creek blaze.

Fire Information Officer Taylor Colman says BC Wildfire Service crews are having a hard time accessing the flames along the western flank, simply because of where the fire is.

“It’s very rocky, steep, and inoperable in most parts,” she described. “The terrain around this area is very mountainous and hard to put crews into place because of the safety hazards that are out in the area. So, it is very challenging to get crews up on that western flank.”

Helicopters were sent in over the weekend, which Colman says was a huge help.

“They’re just dropping buckets of water near where the crews are working so that they are able to more directly action the wildfire. So that will continue throughout the day. As well, crews from the structure protection side of things will continue to assess and triage properties farther up, farther north of the fire’s perimeter.”

An aerial view of a wildfire burning through trees and fields in B.C., with mountains in the background and foreground

The Nohomin Creek Wildfire burns northwest of Lytton. (Courtesy BC Wildfire Service)

Firefighters are putting out hot spots on the eastern flank, while there is another rocky ridge along the northeast.

“But we’ve got a crew working up from along the Fraser River up to the BC Hydro transmission lines, and creating a sort of fuel-free area there that we can tie into and hopefully create a guard,” Colman said.

There are over 130 crew members and 10 helicopters deployed for this blaze. Colman says air tankers could also be sent out, if conditions permit.

“It is a very tight airspace and the mountains are so tall. It’s a bit challenging to get in those large aircraft.”

I’ve just arrived in the Lytton area with @CityNewsVAN videographer Allan Chek. Here’s a clip of helicopter crews working to tame the Nohomin Creek fire just northwest of Lytton. We’ll bring you more on air and online from the scene. pic.twitter.com/llPP1Goaxz

— Martin MacMahon (@martinmacmahon) July 18, 2022

At least six homes have been lost in this wildfire.

Colman says everyone is hyper-aware that just over a year ago, the small village was all but completely destroyed.

“We’re really all pulling together to support one another and action this fire so that we can do the best that we can to get it under control and relieve that stress from the residents of Lytton, as it is a really stressful and sensitive situation, due to last year.”

The Lytton First Nation and Thompson Nicola Regional District have issued evacuation orders and alerts in the area.

Colman notes an archaeologist identified from Lytton First Nation is also heading to the area, “identifying culturally sensitive sites as well as cultural values that we want to protect within the Nlaka’pamux Heritage Park.”

The park is partially closed.

Crews are hoping to make steady progress on this wildfire Monday, as the weather is expected to warm up and dry out in the coming days.

“Recent conditions have been relatively … more seasonal, I would say. As we move through the summer, we’ll see those temperatures continuing to increase. As we move farther up the mountains, we’ll see that translated as well. The fuels farther up the mountain side will continue to dry out,” Colman said.

“We’re not we’re not seeing any reversal. It’s just going to continue to progress up the mountain.”