Fire in Lytton, B.C. that led to evacuations was ignited by wheel falling off of RCMP trailer
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Staff Sgt. Kris Clark says in a statement that the 'equipment failure' that ignited the Izman Creek fire, about 250 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, happened on Tuesday afternoon on Highway 12.
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The wildfire began a day after the fourth anniversary of a blaze that destroyed most of the village of Lytton, and it's now grown to 130 hectares and has been upgraded to the only wildfire of note in the province.
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Clark says it appears the right-side wheel of the trailer was 'ejected' in the incident that caused a fire in a grass-filled ditch.
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Clark says an officer tried to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher, but was unsuccessful, and the BC Wildfire Service quickly dispatched crews to fight the fire.
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The trailer was carrying the equipment of a police dive team involved in the search for a missing swimmer in Seton Lake, about 100 kilometres northwest of Lytton.
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The TNRD has issued an Evacuation Order due to the Izman Creek wildfire. This Order affects approximately 3 addressed properties along Highway 12, north of Lytton, near the intersection of Laluwissin Creek FSR.
More information: https://t.co/HEJ4AjMZwN #BCWildfire pic.twitter.com/P702TdnnPo
— TNRD (@TNRD) July 2, 2025
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The wildfire service says in its latest situational report that cool conditions and thunderstorms are in the forecast for much of the province, bringing a low-to-moderate chance of lightning.
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It says the Fort Nelson area in the northeast is getting the most rain, which will help reduce the intensity of the fires there.
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The service says north and central B.C. will see seasonal temperatures, and while there may be a slight drop in temperature in the south, hot and dry conditions are expected to linger.
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The Izman Creek fire has triggered localized evacuation orders and alerts from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, and an evacuation Alert from the Lytton First Nation.
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The community is still in the process of rebuilding from the 2021 fire that killed two people and wiped out much of the village and part of the Lytton First Nation four years ago on Monday.
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The service says about 36 per cent of the wildfires actively burning in the province are classified as out of control, 30 per cent are being held and 34 per cent are under control.
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