Wildfire south of Lytton, B.C., leads to Highway 1 closure

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Hundreds of properties in the Fraser Canyon and Thompson-Nicola regionsremain on evacuation order and alert as the Kookipi Creek wildfire continues to grow.

As of Saturday morning, the Kookipi Creek fire was estimated to be 105 square kilometres in size, growing from 88 squarekilometres on Friday south of Lytton, B.C.

The fire has not seen significant growth over the course of Saturday, said Kimberly Kelly, an information officer with theB.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS).

Highway 1 has been closed between Lytton and Hope since the fire crossed the highway on Thursday. The next update on the highway's status will be provided Sunday morning.

Evacuation alerts and orders have been issued from theFraser Valley Regional District, Thompson-Nicola Regional District, Lytton First Nation, Skuppah Indian Bandand Kanaka Bar Indian Band.

The village of Lytton, which was all but destroyed in a fire in 2021, is also under an evacuation alert.

Evacuees from the Fraser Valley Regional District, the BoothroydIndian Band and Boston Bar First Nationcan go to Camp Hope for assistance.

WATCH|Video appears to showNahatlatch Lookout Tower burning:

Video appears to show Nahatlatch Lookout tower burning in wildfire south of Lytton, B.C.

12 months ago

Duration 0:32

The original tower was built between 1956 and 1958, according to Recreation Sites and Trails B.C.

The Nahatlatch Lookout Tower,located about 30kilometres south of Lytton,was destroyed by the wildfire just after 5 p.m. Friday, saidMatt Ion of the Four Wheel Drive Association of B.C., the organization that manages the tower.

"I don't expect there's anything else left other than a few metal bits," Ion wrote in an email to CBCNews.

Kelly, of BCWS, said she could not confirm if the tower had burned down, as firefighters had yet to assess the area due to the fire conditions.

She added, however, that the tower was located within the blaze's perimeter on Saturday evening.

From a plume of smoke to a "complete inferno"

Shoneena Loss and her two sons evacuated their homein a remote area north of Boston Baron Thursday.

She said the Kookipi fire, which has been burning for over a month, went from a plume of smoke to a "complete inferno" within hours.

"I've never felt the winds and the trees moving the way that it was," Loss said.

Cliff Chapman, operations director with the BCWS, said in a Friday morning briefing that flames weredriven by high winds and roseup to 150 metres high.

He said the magnitude of the fire led some to mistake its huge smoke cloud for a volcanic eruption.

Loss and her sons are staying in Camp Hope, a group retreat facility in Hope, B.C., that is one of many hospitality businesses opening their doors to evacuees.

Marcon Maciel, the camp's lodge manager,said about 40 to 50 people are staying thereand that the facility isprepared to accommodate up to 200.

"We are very happy to have these people here," he said.

Maciel said they have a fully stocked industrial kitchen and are providing three meals a day to their guests.

More on the B.C. wildfires:

Tunein for ongoing coverage of the wildfire situation onCBC Radio One,101.7 in Hope, 93.1 FM in Lytton, orby using theCBC Listen app.You can also watch free livestreamsonCBC News NetworkandCBC Gem.