Some residents in the Village of Lytton will be getting a first glimpse of what remains of their homes and businesses today, nine days after they fled for their lives because of a raging wildfire.

People have been seeking shelter in communities as far away as Kamloops, Merritt, Chilliwack and Whistler, waiting for some direction about what comes next.

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has arranged bus tours for residents who are prepared to see what’s left of their village.

“This is a way for them to see things first hand, see the surrounding area, really get an understanding of what has happened rather than just seeing pictures that other people have posted,” Information Officer, Debbie Sell, told NL News. “It is learning that we had from the 2017 fires that we decided would be a good thing to do here.”

“We found that it was really appreciated by the residents that had been impacted because you know they knew it would be some time before they would be able to get in on their own.”

While it is not clear how many people are taking part in this tour, they were not be allowed off the bus because the conditions aren’t safe just yet.

“If that happened two in the morning, that would be Lytton Graveyard,” Lytton evacuee Eric Siwik said. “You know, it’ll be like Mount Vesuvius. Everybody’s charcoal. Everything of historical value is gone out of that – other than memory.

“It’s going to be added to the history because it’s now the fire of 2021.”

Sell is again asking people who fled from Lytton last week to register with emergency social services and the Red Cross if they haven’t already done so.

“We have not recently had an update [on how many people are still unaccounted for],” she said. “Canadian Red Cross is actually coordinating that work on behalf of all of us, and they do have a reunification line.”

Get the word out to remind everyone to please contact that [Canadian Red Cross] reunification line if you haven’t already done so. There’s work actively being done on that as well.”

TNRD staff previously told NL News that as many as a 1,000 people were displaced by the fire when you include people in Indigenous communities and other rural areas that surround the Village of Lytton, which had a population of 249 people according to the 2016 census.

Last week, RCMP also asked people to file a missing person’s report if they knew of someone who was in or near Lytton on June 30 who has not been accounted for.

Yesterday, the BC SPCA said it was able to rescue 41 animals from 27 different properties behind fire evacuation lines in Lytton. The animals were being taken to the Animal Evacuation Centre in Kamloops or to veterinary clinics, if needed, while farm animals were transferred to foster homes.

“At the Evacuation Centre the animals can be claimed by their owners if they are staying somewhere they can keep them, or we can provide free emergency shelter if needed,” SPCA spokesperson Lorie Chortyk said. “We are here to support the residents of Lytton and their animals however we can.”

Just one day before the fire, the Village of Lytton set the record for the hottest location recorded in Canada at 49.6 C. A cause of the blaze remains under investigation, although local Indigenous leaders say train movement during drought-like conditions made their people anxious.

Canadian National Railway has said its trains were not linked to the Lytton fire, while Canadian Pacific resumed its service through the area on Monday.

This morning however, Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, ordered all train traffic through Lytton to halt for 48 hours effective immediately, while these tours are taking place.

“This Ministerial Order is being put in place in the interest of safe railway operations and to protect residents who are temporarily returning to inspect their homes as safely as possible,” he said.

Exceptions include allow CN and CP access for emergency fire response and maintenance and repair work between Kamloops and Boston Bar and trains that were already in the area when the order was brought in.

There are more than 200 wildfires currently burning in B.C. with the fire danger rating in many parts of the province at high or extreme. Lightning also continues to be a challenge given the lack of precipitation in parts of the province.

About 174 fires have been recorded this week, 26 of them in the last two days, the wildfire service says.

– With files from CKNW Radio Vancouver

(Photo via Premier John Horgan)

To protect safety of residents who will be inspecting their homes in Lytton, B.C., our government is requiring CN and CP to cease operations for 48hrs. We will continue to work with Indigenous leaders during this difficult time. https://t.co/exF9b5FCkK

— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) July 9, 2021