Story at a glance
- Temperatures exceeded 115 degrees in the Canadian region Sunday, 118 degrees Monday and topped 121 degrees on Tuesday afternoon.
- On Wednesday, a fast-moving wildfire tore through the small village.
- “It took, like, a whole 15 minutes from the first sign of smoke to, all of a sudden, there being fire everywhere,” Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman said.
A small town in Canada has been devastated by fast-moving wildfires following days of record-breaking temperatures.
Earlier this week, Lytton, British Columbia, located about 95 miles northeast of Vancouver, shattered Canada’s record for hottest temperature three days in a row. Temperatures exceeded 115 degrees Sunday, 118 degrees Monday and topped 121 degrees on Tuesday afternoon.
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On Wednesday, when temperatures fell to low-triple digits, more than 1,000 people living in and around the small village were forced to evacuate their homes with little notice as ongoing wildfires tore through the area, according to the CBC.
The town’s mayor said the fire spread rapidly and the whole town was on fire.
“It took, like, a whole 15 minutes from the first sign of smoke to, all of a sudden, there being fire everywhere,” Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman told the CBC.
Government officials said Wednesday the blaze decimated “most homes” and structures in Lytton, and emergency officials were working to find some residents who were unaccounted for after people scattered when they evacuated.
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“The fire has caused extensive damage to the town of #Lytton, BC and surrounding critical infrastructure,” Brad Vis, the local member of Parliament, said in a Facebook post.
“The town has sustained structural damage and 90% of the village is burned, including the centre of town,” he wrote.
The British Columbia Wildfire Service said the blaze was more than 15,000 acres in size and is classified as “Out of Control.” The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, officials said two wildfires are burning to the north of Lytton, making up a combined area of 35 square miles.
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