Jul 1, 2021 - World

Canadian village evacuated due to wildfires amid historic heat wave

Erin Doherty

The city of Vancouver, British Columbia, is seen through a haze on a scorching hot day, June 29, 2021. — The city of Vancouver, British Columbia, seen through a haze on a scorching hot day, June 29, 2021. Photo: Don MacKinnon / AFP

A Canadian village issued an evacuation order Wednesday due to a wildfire blazing through the village, one day after the town set the all-time national heat record of 121°F.

The big picture: Lytton Mayor Jan Polderman urged all residents to "leave the community and go to a safe location," per the order.

Driving the news: Lytton — located about 195 miles east of Vancouver — reached temperatures of 121°F on Tuesday, the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada, Axios' Andrew Freedman reports.

At least 486 people have died in British Columbia since Friday due to the heat wave.
"It's dire. The whole town is on fire," Polderman told CBC News. "It took, like, a whole 15 minutes from the first sign of smoke to, all of a sudden, there being fire everywhere."
There are at least 78 fires burning in British Columbia currently, up by 55 over the last two days, per the B.C. Wildfire Dashboard.

What he's saying: "At the First Nation band office, the fire was a wall about three, four feet high coming up to the fence line. I drove through town and it was just smoke, flames, the wires were down," Polderman told CBC News.

Go deeper: At least 486 dead in British Columbia amid historic heat wave

Pacific Northwest heat wave reaches astonishing peak on Monday

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Canadian village evacuated due to wildfires amid historic heat wave

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