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How Lytton, a Canadian village razed by wildfire, is wrestling with climate-proofing its future

A year after a wildfire destroyed the western Canadian village of Lytton, residents, municipal leaders and the provincial government are grappling with the slow and costly reality of future-proofing a community against climate change.

The remote village sits at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers in the high, dry mountains of interior British Columbia, making it a bullseye for fires and landslides. In June 2021, 90 per cent of Lytton’s structures burned down, a day after the village recorded Canada’s hottest-ever temperature.

Now officials have a unique opportunity to rebuild an entire community from scratch using fire-safe materials and energy-efficient building standards.

However, long-term disaster mitigation plans and net-zero ambitions are running up against the realities of human impatience and reimbursement limits from insurers. Burnt-out residents — many still living in temporary accommodation — want to rebuild their homes and get on with their lives.

“There’s a distinct difference between what would be ideal and what’s realistic,” said Tricia Thorpe, 61, who lost her home in the fire.

A middle-aged couple stand in a patchy front yard in front of a basic white brick building with a blue roof.
Tricia Thorpe and her husband, Don Glasgow, stand outside their new home.(Reuters: Jennifer Gauthier)

“I don’t think anybody has a problem with building fire-smart, but they’re trying to build a model village. They’re talking about solar [panel] sidewalks.”

The risk of destructive weather is rising as climate change intensifies, sharpening the focus on how communities build.

Insured damage for severe weather events across Canada hit $C2.1 billion ($2.34 billion) last year, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada, including $C102 million for the Lytton fire.

Since 1983, Canadian insurers have averaged about $C934 million a year in severe weather-related losses.

Catastrophic losses from severe weather in Canada

The wrangling over how to restore Lytton highlights the messy reality of climate adaptation, and what costs and delays people are willing to endure to cut carbon emissions and mitigate their fire risk.

In the 300-person village, some lofty ambitions have already been shelved in favor of a faster rebuild.

Lytton’s council wanted to adopt building by-laws that require net-zero-emissions homes, but scaled that back to lower energy-efficiency standards after residents pushed back.

The village also considered burying all its power lines to reduce fire risk, a three-year process, but is now installing temporary overhead lines to get the job done in nine months.

A small white brick building with a blue roof sits on the edge of a mountainside surrounded by charred black trees.
Tricia Thorpe’s home, north of Lytton. The village sits in the high, dry mountains of interior British Columbia, making it a bullseye for fires and landslides.(Reuters: Jennifer Gauthier)

“At times, I get frustrated with the lack of knowledge and the fact that residents think we’re trying to make it impossible for them to rebuild,” Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman said.

“We could become a first-generation model for net-zero.”

Mr Polderman said the solar panel sidewalks — reinforced solar panels in place of pavements on the town’s sidewalks — and wind energy could power street lights and municipal buildings.

breaking new ground

In the 13 months since the fire, little progress has been made on restoration, with only a quarter of properties cleared of ash and debris.

The local council is still finalizing fire-safety building by-laws it says will be the most comprehensive ever developed in Canada and make Lytton the best-protected community in the country.

Those new by-laws — based on expertise from Canada’s National Research Council on developing communities in wildfire-prone regions — cover everything from building materials to landscaping and maintenance to what can be stored on properties.

Small piles of construction material sits among burned patches of ground on concrete housing blocks.
The remains of homes and businesses a year after a wildfire destroyed 90 per cent of the buildings in Lytton.(Reuters: Jennifer Gauthier)

Finalizing the by-laws and community consultation has taken months.

“I’m sure if we’d just said, ‘Let’s get people back in their homes ASAP’ it would have been faster, but then we might be in the same situation in a few years’ time,” said Kelsey Winter, the chair of the BC FireSmart Committee, a provincial organization leading community engagement in Lytton.

“It’s taking longer than many people wanted, but Lytton is breaking new ground.”

Other complications have dogged the recovery. Record-breaking floods in November washed out local highways, which were also intermittently closed over the winter for avalanche control.

In addition, the village sits within the Nlaka’pamux First Nation territory and residents require archaeological surveys to check for Indigenous artifacts before rebuilding. The Lytton First Nation, part of the Nlaka’pamux, also lost dozens of homes in the 2021 fire.

The limits of insurance

Around 60 per cent of Lytton residents were uninsured or under-insured, leading to delays in debris removal as residents and insurers grappled with who should pay. In March, the province said it would provide $C18.4 million to cover debris removal, archaeological surveys and soil remediation.

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Lind Fire fully contained after destroying several homes, seriously injured firefighter recovering | News

LIND, Wash. – After destroying 14 structures Thursday, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO) said the Lind Fire is now fully contained.

ACSO said the firefighter who was airlifted to Spokane is now home with his family and recovering.

Local crews are mopping up and monitoring hot spots.

Last Updated: August 5 at 10:30 am

In a statewide briefing, Washington Department of Natural Resource (DNR) officials said the Lind Fire is not yet contained but is “looking really good.”

DNR said firefighting progress is moving in the right direction and they are optimistic that there will be no more damage to structures.

Last Updated: August 5 at 8:30 am

All evacuations have now been lifted for the Lind Fire, after 14 structures, including six homes and eight other structures, were lost to a quick-moving wildfire. Officials say the fire is now contained and under control, but crews will work through the night to make sure it doesn’t spark back up.

State fire assistance was put in place to support local firefighters who are working to contain it. Ground and air support responded to the fire.

The fire started on the south side of the town and began approaching homes. Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO) and Washington State Patrol (WSP) crews are helping with evacuations.







Entire town of Lind being evacuated, 10 homes already lost to quick-moving wildfire




Highway 395 was closed in both directions as well as SR 21 but has since been reopened.

The Red Cross was assisting displaced people at the Ritzville Elementary School.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

This is a breaking news story and will be updated as more information becomes available. Check back for updates.

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Puppy rescued from McKinney Fire near Klamath River

A little bit of good news and a lot of luck coming out of a destructive wildfire burning near the California-Oregon border as a photojournalist saved a puppy wandering around the ruins of the McKinney Fire. Jonathan Rivas said he arrived at the community of Klamath River early Saturday morning, just hours after the wildfire broke out where he said there was a lot of damage, with trees and homes burned. Rivas said he was finishing filming one neighborhood when he heard yelping. “I heard a yelp in the distance, but I didn’t really know what it was, I thought it was an injured deer or one of the wildlife that’s there,” the AIO Filmz photojournalist said. “All of a sudden, this little puppy comes and runs up to me. I was super shocked to see that come from the rubble there.”The puppy was clearly excited to see Rivas in the video.Watch the full rescue belowThe puppy allowed Rivas to pick him up and put him in the back of his car. “He was very excited, he was wagging his tail, I am talking to him like I’m talking to my dog, I picked him up, put him in the trunk of my car,” Rivas said. He gave him some water before driving to Yreka and dropping him off at a shelter. Rivas posted the video on social media, where he found the puppy’s family. The puppy has been reunited with his family. “Reuniting it with their family and after hearing their story, it makes me feel good, I am just happy, I was at the right place at the right time,” Rivas said.

A little bit of good news and a lot of luck coming out of a destructive wildfire burning near the California-Oregon border as a photojournalist saved a puppy wandering around the ruins of the McKinney Fire.

Jonathan Rivas said he arrived at the community of Klamath River early Saturday morning, just hours after the wildfire broke out where he said there was a lot of damage, with trees and homes burned.

Rivas said he was finishing filming one neighborhood when he heard yelping.

“I heard a yelp in the distance, but I didn’t really know what it was, I thought it was an injured deer or one of the wildlife that’s there,” the AIO Filmz photojournalist said. “All of a sudden, this little puppy comes and runs up to me. I was super shocked to see that come from the rubble there.”

The puppy was clearly excited to see Rivas in the video.

Watch the full rescue below

The puppy allowed Rivas to pick him up and put him in the back of his car.

“He was very excited, he was wagging his tail, I am talking to him like I’m talking to my dog, I picked him up, put him in the trunk of my car,” Rivas said.

Puppy rescued from McKinney Fire

AIO FILMZ

Puppy rescued from McKinney Fire by photojournalist taking video of damage near Klamath River.

He gave him some water before driving to Yreka and dropping him off at a shelter.

Rivas posted the video on social media, where he found the puppy’s family. The puppy has been reunited with its family of her.

“Reuniting it with their family and after hearing their story, it makes me feel good, I am just happy, I was at the right place at the right time,” Rivas said.

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Categories
US

California McKinney Fire burns 80 square miles, with no containment

The McKinney Fire along California’s border with Oregon exploded in size Saturday to 80 square miles and forced the evacuations of more than 2,000 people in the Siskiyou County community of Yreka.

Officials said early Sunday morning that the 51,468-acre fire — the largest so far in California’s still-early wildfire season — was 0% contained. State Highway 96 was closed along the Klamath River and several other small, rural communities remained evacuated. The fire remained at 0% containment Sunday evening, but no new evacuations were ordered, the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Office said just before 7 pm An updated amount total wasn’t provided.

The fire, however, remained at least 5½ miles from Yreka, according to an online map of the fire perimeter the Yreka Police Department shared Sunday morning on Facebook.

“Little progression was observed on the fire’s edge closest to Yreka City,” the fire’s incident commanders wrote in their 8 am update. A fire-mapping plane that flew over the perimeter Sunday afternoon continued to show minimal spread toward Yreka, Siskiyou County’s seat and home to 7,807 people.

Larry Castle and his wife, Nancy, were among the 2,000 people in Yreka who were told they had to leave their home Saturday night. Officials were going through neighborhoods tying red flags on the mailboxes of every house that they’d checked to ensure the occupants had left.

Larry Castle said he loaded up a trailer with some of his prized possessions, including his motorcycle and his rifles, and he, Nancy and three dogs headed to Mount Shasta to spend the night at their daughter’s house.

He was hopeful that recent brush and tree thinning projects foresters had conducted on the ridge-top above Yreka would save the town, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

“You look back at the Paradise fire and the Santa Rosa fire and you realize this stuff is very, very serious,” he said, referring to wildfires in 2017 and 2018 that burned thousands of homes and killed dozens of people.

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A scorched pickup truck remains on California Highway 96 in Klamath National Forest as the McKinney Fire burns nearby on Saturday. Noah Berger AP

Fire creates lightning and winds

The massive smoke plume from the fire was creating its own weather, including lightning storms. Lightning strikes sparked other small fires, including one west of Fort Jones, according to Klamath National Forest officials.

“The area remains in a Red Flag Warning today for a threat of dry lightning and strong outflow winds associated with thunder cells,” officials wrote in their 8 am briefing. “These conditions can be extremely dangerous for firefighters, as winds can be erratic and extremely strong, causing fire to spread in any direction.”

The fire erupted at 2:38 pm Friday at Highway 96 and McKinney Creek Road southwest of the Klamath River, and the cause remains under investigation.

Officials haven’t provided a tally of buildings destroyed, but maps show the fire has burned through small, isolated communities, including the unincorporated town of Klamath River, home to about 190 people, 20 miles west of Yreka.

The fire burned down at least a dozen residences and wildlife was seen fleeing to avoid the flames.

Photos from the Grants Pass Daily Courier showed homes and the community center destroyed in Klamath River as well as burned vehicles on Highway 96.

Officials said they spent the nighttime hours keeping homes and buildings in the Klamath River area from burning. Other small communities under evacuation include those in Seiad Valley, Scott Bar and Horse Creek.

Stephanie Bossen of Klamath River and her dog, Biggie, were in Weed on Sunday trying to find a place to stay. Because she was staying Yreka when the fire hit, she did not know if her home de ella survived. She said she’d been growing increasingly nervous as the temperatures climbed into the 100s over the past few days.

”I knew that was gonna be bad, because all the dry heat and it’s been such a drought around here recently,” she said. “It was gonna be bad somewhere. I just hoped it wasn’t so close to my house.”

WesternWildfires (6).JPG
A horse grazes in a pasture as the McKinney Fire burns in Klamath National Forest on Saturday. Noah Berger AP

Hikers and pets evacuated

On Saturday afternoon, Yreka police evacuated a mobile home park called Oakridge Mobile Estates “due to its proximity to the fire and the need for additional time for this group of residents to safely evacuate,” the police department said in a Facebook post.

Authorities were providing buses to residents who needed transportation out of the area and set up an evacuation center at the Weed Community Center, 161 E. Lincoln Ave. Twenty-two people stayed at the shelter Saturday night, said Stephen Walsh, a spokesman for the area branch of the American Red Cross, which is operating the site.

On Saturday, Fairchild Medical Center, the main hospital in Siskiyou County, moved patients, out of “an abundance of caution,” to out-of-area hospitals as far away as Sacramento, a hospital spokesman said.

But the hospital, located in a part of Yreka that is currently under an evacuation warning, remained open Sunday.

Officials also began compiling lists of animals lost or found because of the fire; Updated information on animal sheltering and how to find animals lost in the evacuation zones is available on the Siskiyou County website.

In the past 48 hours, the Rescue Ranch — a nonprofit dog adoption and rehabilitation center in Yreka — has seen more than 130 animals, mostly dogs, dropped off by evacuees who are unable to keep their pets at emergency shelters or motels, Natalie Golay, a Rescue Ranch spokeswoman, said Sunday.

“They’re still coming in,” she said. One was a puppy that a news photographer picked up from outside a home that burned inside the evacuated area. Golay said the owner, who lost his home, was reunited with his dog on Sunday afternoon. The pup’s name is Patches. It’s not an entirely happy ending, however. She said Patch’s owner fears for the lives of three other dogs he had to leave behind in the frantic evacuation.

The group put out a call on Facebook seeking stainless steel pails, dog food and other donations to keep the dogs fed and cared for.

Meanwhile, search and rescue teams from Oregon and California have been locating hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail and escorting them to safety. The 2,650-mile popular hiking trail runs from Mexico to Canada and meanders for 110-miles through the evacuated area.

Around 60 hikers were transported in public transit buses from the California side of the Red Buttes Wilderness Saturday afternoon, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon.

The McKinney Fire is the largest to date this year, matching nearly all of the acreage burned in California so far in 2022 before it ignited.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Saturday in Siskiyou County.

WesternWildfires (10).JPG
Angela Crawford watches as a wildfire called the McKinney fire burns a hillside above her home in Klamath National Forest, Calif., on Saturday, July 30, 2022. Crawford and her husband stayed, as other residents evacuated, to defend their home from the fire . Noah Berger AP

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Flames from the McKinney Fire consume trees along California Highway 96 in Klamath National Forest, Calif., Saturday, July 30. Noah Berger AP

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Scorched vehicles and residences line the Oaks Mobile Home Park in the Klamath River community as the McKinney Fire burns in Klamath National Forest on Saturday. Noah Berger AP
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Angela Crawford leans against a fence as the McKinney Fire burns a hillside above her home outside Klamath National Forest on Saturday. Noah Berger AP

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The Klamath River Community Hall is seen destroyed by the McKinney Fire in the community of Klamath River, Calif., Saturday, July 30, 2022. (Scott Stoddard/Grants Pass Daily Courier via AP) Scott Stoddard AP

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In this remote image provided by Cal Fire, the McKinney Fire burns in Siskiyou County as seen from the Antelope Mountain Yreka 1 observation camera, early Saturday, July 30, 2022. (Cal Fire via AP) Cal Fire AP

Sacramento Bee photographer Sara Nevis contributed to this story.

This story was originally published July 31, 2022 7:56 AM.

Profile Image of Sam Stanton

Sam Stanton has worked for The Bee since 1991 and has covered a variety of issues, including politics, criminal justice and breaking news.

Profile Image of Ryan Sabalow

Ryan Sabalow covers environment, enterprise and investigative stories for McClatchy’s California newspapers. Before joining The Sacramento Bee in 2015, he was a reporter at the Auburn Journal, the Redding Record Searchlight and the Indianapolis Star.

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