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Evacuation orders added, expanded as 600-hectare Saw Creek wildfire burning near Lytton has residents on edge
Crews defend communities
The Canadian Press - Jun 20, 2026 / 8:22 pm | Story: 620762
UPDATE: 8:25 p.m.
The Saw Creek wildfire remains estimated at 600 hectares in size.
Overnight, crews and structure protection personnel will continue prioritizing the protection and defense of structures within the fire area. Firefighters and aircraft are also focused on securing the perimeter around nearby communities.
The fire is currently exhibiting Rank 2 and 3 fire behaviour, characterized by a low to moderately vigorous surface fire with visible open flames and occasional tree candling.
Hot and dry conditions have left fuels highly susceptible to ignition. Although temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler today, there remains potential for increased fire activity throughout the day.
Crews are working along the northwest and south flanks of the fire to establish control lines, while helicopters continue bucketing operations to help reduce fire behaviour.
All evacuation orders and alerts remain in effect.
UPDATE 6:20 p.m.
The Saw Creek wildfire remains at an estimated 600 hectares in size as crews continue suppression efforts.
Fire officials say the blaze is still showing rank two and rank three behaviour, with a possible change in fire rank expected later Saturday night once crews are able to get a better understanding of the fire’s current condition.
Around 130 firefighting personnel remain assigned to the incident, with crews continuing work along the northwest and south flanks of the fire. The south flank remains a priority for suppression efforts.
Structure protection resources are also in place, and an incident management team is expected to take over later Saturday night.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for Klahkamich IR 17 and Kitzowitz IR 20 due to the wildfire.
Further south, the Siska Indian Band has issued evacuation alerts for the Zacht 5, Siska Flat 5A and Siska Flat 5B reserves.
Most of the Village of Lytton remains under evacuation alert as crews continue monitoring the situation.
Judith Urquhart said she's doing what she has to do to remain focused and prepare for the possibility that a wildfire could force her to evacuate, five years after her home was destroyed by a different blaze.
Urquhart and her husband rebuilt their home that was destroyed in the devastating 2021 fire in Lytton, B.C., that razed most of the community, and now they are one of more than 150 properties under evacuation alert as a new fire threatens.
Thompson-Nicola Regional District issued an evacuation order Friday and by Saturday afternoon it covered approximately 50 properties in the Village of Lytton and approximately 13 properties in the surrounding area.
Approximately 168 other addresses were put under evacuation alerts by the regional district.
The Lytton First Nation has also issued an evacuation order for some of its residents.
Urquhart said five years after being devastated, the community has been "trained" with help from the province with the knowledge it needs to be prepared for another emergency.
"We know that you have to be careful living here, but other people have had a very traumatic response. For us, we just look at it as you have to keep focused, you have to put your own emergency plans in place," she said.
The Saw Creek wildfire was discovered Friday about three kilometres south of Lytton and was measured at six square kilometres as of Saturday afternoon.
The BC Wildfire Service says it is burning out of control and officials have labelled the blaze a wildfire of note, meaning it is "creating an increased level of interest."
Urquhart said it was "not a good feeling" when the power went out for several hours on Friday but that BC Hydro was able to get it restored.
She said crews came by around 10 p.m. on Friday night to tell residents what was going on and gather information about how many people lived in the house, in the event they were ordered to leave.
Urquhart has a list of critical items to take with her if she has to evacuate and said she's grateful for everyone working during the emergency.
"For all the first responders … the training in the last five years, the province, the federal government, who put money into the whole province for response to these fires," she said.
"And people will say that's not enough, but they've had a long way from zero to what we're seeing today."
On June 30, 2021, one day after Lytton recorded a Canadian temperature record of 49.6 C, a wildfire swept through the village, killing two people and levelling almost the entire community.
Despite more than $140 million in federal and provincial funding, the recovery has been slow, with only a few dozen homes rebuilt. There are currently about 75 residents in the village, which had a population of 210 before the 2021 fire.
Urquhart said some community members are turning to Facebook to check on one another and vent some of their fears about the latest fire.
"We have to reassure that person that they can take care of themselves. That there is steps that they can take for themselves, that they can move through this and not be hurt by it," she said.
The regional district declared a state of emergency in Lytton and Blue Sky County.
About 130 firefighters have been assigned to the blaze along with nine helicopters and structure protection crews.
The flames of the Saw Creek wildfire have also forced the closure of Highway 1 for 116 kilometres, between Boston Bar and Cache Creek.
-The Canadian Press
UPDATE: 4:00 p.m.
The Lytton First Nation has issued evacuation orders for two reserves, while the TNRD has expanded an existing evacuation order and alert as the 600-hectare Saw Creek wildfire continues to burn south of Lytton.
According to Emergency Management BC, evacuation orders are now in effect for Klahkamich IR 17 and Kitzowitz IR 20 due to the wildfire.
The blaze poses a threat to life and safety, and residents in the affected areas are required to leave immediately.
An evacuation route is available via Highway 12 between Lytton and Lillooet. A reception centre has been established at the Lytton First Nation Battlefield Community Hall, located at 1756 Battlefield Rd.
The reserves are within an area already covered by TNRD evacuation orders.
The TNRD has also expanded its evacuation order to include three additional properties at the south end of the Village of Lytton, bringing the total number of properties under evacuation order to 50.
The newly affected properties are east of Highway 1, including Ponderosa Heights, and south of — but not including — Kumsheen ShchEma-meet School.
Further south, the Siska Indian Band has issued evacuation alerts for the Zacht 5, Siska Flat 5A and Siska Flat 5B reserves.
The TNRD's evacuation alert was amended this afternoon to expand to include all properties south of the Village of Lytton to Siska Creek.
Most of the Village of Lytton itself remains under evacuation alert.
Fire has Lytton residents concerned
Mayor Denise O’Connor told Castanet residents who were ordered to leave Ponderosa Heights and Loring Way on Friday have evacuated, but no one lives in the southern portion of the village where the expanded order now applies.
Lytton was largely destroyed by wildfire five years ago this month, and O’Connor said the current situation has left many residents on edge.
“Everyone deals with it differently, but it’s absolutely triggering for people,” O’Connor said.
The mayor said about 20 homes have been rebuilt and between 75 and 100 people currently live in the village.
She said the wildfire is not currently threatening Lytton, but the wind is pushing the fire south where there are other rural communities. Most evacuation orders in place at the moment are for properties east and south of Lytton, on the other side of the highway, below the mountain where the fire has been spreading.
O’Connor said winds had eased considerably since Friday and wildfire crews and helicopters were active throughout the area on Saturday.
UPDATE: 1:14 p.m.
Evacuation orders connected to the Saw Creek wildfire remain in place, but changes are expected, according to the TNRD.
The fire is currently classified as a wildfire of note, and an incident management team is being assigned to the blaze this afternoon, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
TNRD Chief Administrative Officer Scott Hildebrand told Castanet the fire was observed moving eastward and uphill away from Lytton Saturday morning, but evacuation orders and alerts remain unchanged — for now.
“Everything is still in place as it was last night. I think there's recommendations to make some changes, so we are waiting for that call [with BCWS] this morning,” Hildebrand told Castanet.
The TNRD has 47 properties under evacuation order in the Village of Lytton and 13 more in neighbouring Electoral Area I. The regional district also has 170 properties on evacuation alert.
The Lytton First Nation has also issued an evacuation alert for some residents.
Meanwhile, the wildfire is burning on both sides of Highway 1, which remains closed through the area, but it has not crossed the Fraser River to the west.
Fire information officer Shae Stearns said the wind shifted overnight, changing from northbound toward Lytton to a southbound flow.
She said the fire remains active at both ends, particularly on the southern flank, and crews are working on suppression efforts and structure protection on both the north and south flanks.
“The fire is within communities and [firefighters are] responding in that area, and then once those initial priority areas are identified they’ll work their way out, assessing and identifying other areas that need to be protected as well,” Stearns said.
She said she could not confirm whether any structures have been lost.
Stearns said fire behaviour increased Friday morning from Rank 2 to a combination of Rank 2 and Rank 3 behaviour — ranging from a low- to moderate-intensity surface fire with visible open flame to fire burning in trees along the perimeter.
The wildfire has grown exponentially since 5 p.m. Thursday, when it was estimated at 10 hectares. The cause is suspected to be human activity.
- with files from the Canadian Press
UPDATE: 10:23 a.m.
The Saw Creek wildfire burning near Lytton has now grown to 600 hectares in size, according to the BC Wildfire Service.
In an online update, the BCWS said 130 firefighters and nine helicopters are responding to this fire, which has forced the closure of Highway 1 and lead to evacuation orders and alerts.
The BCWS said that overnight fire crews and aircraft worked to secure the perimeter of the communities near the fire and defence of structures in the area.
Crews are currently working along the northwest and south flanks of the fire to establish control lines while helicopters assist with bucketing operations to decrease fire behaviour, according to the BCWS.
The fire is currently burning at Rank 2, meaning it’s a surface fire with visible open flame and an unorganized flame front.
The BCWS said there is potential for increased fire activity throughout the day given hot and dry conditions, though temperatures are expected to be slightly cooler today than yesterday.
The fire is suspected to have been human-caused.
UPDATE 7:24 a.m.
Some residents in Lytton have been told to evacuate as a wildfire threatens the rural village, a community nearly wiped off the map by flames five years ago this month.
The TNRD declared states of emergency in Lytton and Blue Sky County, and evacuation orders and alerts have also been issued in the area.
The BC Wildfire Service says Saturday morning its crews are battling a fire about three kilometres south of Lytton with a moderate rate of spread and occasional candling along its perimeter.
That appears to be an improvement over Friday night, when the service described it as a "highly to extremely vigorous surface fire with an organized crown."
Dozens of firefighters have been assigned to the blaze with aerial support and structure protection crews also responding.
Updates from emergency officials with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District say an evacuation order is now in effect for 47 addressed properties in the Village of Lytton, with 168 other addresses also under evacuation alerts.
The flames of the Saw Creek wildfire have also forced the closure of Highway 1 for 116 kilometres, between Boston Bar and Cache Creek.
The BC Wildfire Service says the fire, likely human-caused, has already grown to roughly two square kilometres and will likely continue to spread because of hot, dry conditions.
The Lytton First Nation has also issued an evacuation alert for some of its residents.
ORIGINAL: 6:23 a.m.
An out-of-control wildfire south of the village of Lytton, B.C., is triggering evacuation orders and alerts, and closing a major route through the region.
Updates from emergency officials with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District say an evacuation order is now in effect for 47 addressed properties in the Village of Lytton, with 168 other addresses also under evacuation alerts.
The flames of the Saw Creek wildfire have also forced the closure of Highway 1 for 116 kilometres, between Boston Bar and Cache Creek.
The BC Wildfire Service says the fire, likely human-caused, has already grown to roughly 2 square kilometres and will likely continue to spread because of hot, dry conditions.
The Lytton First Nation has also issued an evacuation alert for some of its residents.
Castanet's reporting on this Friday from Friday and details related to evacuation alerts is here.
The village of Lytton was nearly wiped off the map after a devastating wildfire in June 2021 that killed two people.
- with files from the Canadian Press
