A report on the wildfire that destroyed the village of Lytton last June concluded that the disaster couldn’t have been stopped, even with an area-wide emergency response.
The report by the Institute for Catastrophic Loss Reduction, says scientists found the root cause was “easily ignitable structures and homes, and not just a wildfire problem.”
It says even the best possible fire response would have been “overwhelmed” because at least 20 buildings were fully engulfed in barely an hour, requiring the response of as many as 60 fire trucks.
The report made 33 specific recommendations to try and mitigate wildfire risk and reduce exposure and vulnerabilities within so-called home ignition zones.
It included mandatory mowing of tall grass and weeds around residential areas and evacuation routes, as well as development changes like minimum distances between buildings.
Two people were killed in the Lytton fire on June 30, which destroyed much of the community in the middle of a heat wave that saw the hottest day ever recorded in Canada at 49.6 C in Lytton.
– With files from The Canadian Press