Lytton begins rebuild, 2+ years after devastating wildfire
Posted December 21, 2023 7:39 am.
Last Updated December 21, 2023 8:54 pm.
The first home is being rebuilt in Lytton, more than two years after the community was gutted by a wildfire.
In an email to CityNews, the village says concrete was “poured this week for the walls and footing” of the home.
“That’s pretty exciting and I think it’s providing a lot of optimism for people,” said Mayor Denise O’Connor, who was among those who lost everything in the 2021 wildfire that gutted the community.
“There are a number of other [homes] ready to go fairly soon after Christmas. The building permits should be issued very shortly.”
She adds, by the spring of 2024, the goal is to have at least another dozen homes in the building process, along with some municipal buildings and a grocery store.
O’Connor acknowledges the wait to get things off the ground has been frustrating, and isn’t sure why it’s taking so long.
“This is our third Christmas away from our community. People are displaced, living in temporary homes in other communities so it’s been very difficult.”
There have been several factors contributing to the delays in rebuilding Lytton. According to the province, the soil was contaminated and hazardous and the land needed to be reviewed.
Also, because Lytton is on the site of a traditional First Nations village, there needed to be archaeological reviews of the land before any work could proceed.
“I don’t know the details, but I do know it took until June of 2022 before they even started removing debris and I don’t know why,” O’Connor told CityNews Thursday.
“There was debris removal, and then there was the foundation removal and then there was soil remediation then after that there was all the backfilling and through everything, there was archeology.”
The mayor isn’t sure where the blame lies.
She says on one side of town, there are three homes that survived the flames, while on the other, there is a hall and a church. In between lies an empty canvass.
“We received Infrastructure Canada grant money, $64 million from the federal government, and those are for municipal-type buildings that are accessible and inclusive of public, so things like a museum, visitor centre, possibly a recreation-type facility. We’re working on that right now. That money is to make sure they’re built net-zero and fire-resistant,” O’Connor explained.
The village still needs a medical centre.
O’Connor doesn’t know how long it’s going to take for Lytton to be completely rebuilt.
“It’s going to be years in reality. It’s going to be gradual. Every year we’re going to see more,” she said.
The first permit for the village was issued last month after calls grew from residents protesting the delays in rebuilding Lytton.
In October, locals came together to highlight how long it was taking to get moving.
“I miss home every day. I miss having my spot that I can call my own. I miss being able to walk out in my yard and cut my lawn on Sundays and move the sprinkler, say hi to my neighbour. It was just a really heartfelt, warm community,” resident Kathryn Brooks said at the time.
The fire that demolished Lytton came as the community had been grappling with record-breaking heat. The village recorded the highest temperatures ever in Canada on three consecutive days, the highest being 49.6 degrees.
At the time of the fire, Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said the majority of homes and infrastructure in the village were destroyed.
“This has been a very difficult day, and the days ahead are going to continue to challenge us,” Farnworth said in 2021. “This fire moved aggressively and continues to do so, burning through the extreme conditions that have resulted from the record heat in the area.”
-With files from The Canadian Press and Charlie Carey
