The Village of Lytton is set to consider lifting its state of local emergency tonight, nearly two years after a devastating wildfire, destroyed much of the community.

A report going to Wednesday’s Village Council meeting asks that they “resolve the State of Local Emergency currently in effect.”

Lytton Mayor Denise O’Connor, who is set to join the NL Morning News at 7:40 a.m. Thursday, June 15, told NL News she is confident the state of local emergency will be lifted.

Fraser-Nicola MLA Jackie Tegart told RadioNL she thinks the move will be welcomed news in the community.

“People will see this decision by the council very positively as they look forward to actually getting to a rebuilding stage in the community,” Tegart said on the NL Noon Report. “It is just unbelievable that we are almost at the second anniversary and we still don’t have a house or a business rebuilt.”

In the days following the fire, the village says the State of Local Emergency was required for the safety and protection of property and to allow remediation work to be undertaken. Staff said the weekly extensions were necessary due to the “extensive remediation and archeology work taking place over the last 18 months.”

With the State of Local Emergency currently set to expire on Monday, June 19, Village staff the need to renew it no longer exists as the village shifts from recovery to rebuild.

Tegart says the lifting of the emergency will allow Lyttonites to start planning their rebuild.

“With lifting of the local state of emergency, people will then be able to access their property,” she added. “Up to this time, they have not had that and we are almost at the two year stage.”

With that, Tegart says she believes people will see this as a positive step towards recovering the village.

“Lytton is the hub for the surrounding area and peoples who’s houses didn’t burn in the rural areas surrounding Lytton are looking forward to the business hub coming together…So we have a lot of work to do.”

Earlier this year, O’Connor told RadioNL she was hopeful that shovels will finally hit the ground this year.

Once the declaration is lifted, village staff say it will issue public notices, though it also notes temporary restrictions may be put in place on occasion as archaeology and other remediation work continues.

The village says following the public Council meeting, notices of the cancellation of the local state of emergency will be issued.