The village of Litton is completely devoured by fire!

The small village of Litton, about 260 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, is 90% burned by fire, with mostly ash and a community centre left behind, according to Provincial Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth. But the worst news to come out of Litton was that several of its residents, including children, were missing as the fire devoured the village.

Rosanna Stamberg is one of those who is just crushed with grief over the disappearance of her children: "I don't know which direction they went. I don't know if they went down towards Chilliwack. I don't know if they went to Lillooet. I don't know if they went to Spencer Bridge or Merritt Bridge or Kamloops Bridge or stayed home."

According to the woman, all attempts to contact the children by phone were unsuccessful due to the lack of cellular communication.

Damage in Litton.

The minister has not yet provided detailed damage estimates or said exactly how many residents have disappeared. The emergency evacuation order for Litton was issued at 6 p.m. local time on Wednesday after temperatures there reached an all-time high of 49.6 °C on Tuesday. Litton residents were rushed to a recreation centre in Lillooet, B.C.

At yesterday's press conference, the minister said that about 1,000 people who managed to evacuate to safety were waiting for very sad news: "Most of the houses and buildings in the village as well as the ambulance station and the police unit building have been destroyed by fire. I also understand that some residents have not been accounted for and their whereabouts are currently being ascertained."

It is also known that two hydroelectric power stations, railroads and roads were badly damaged.

According to Prime Minister John Horgan, the fire near Litton, which is now 90m², is still ongoing and poses a significant risk to all communities and woodlands in the area. According to the Prime Minister, the causes of the fire that killed Litton have not yet been established, but it is likely that the extreme heat triggered its outbreak.

At this time, the community of Litton is already going through a terrible time because of the tremendous losses caused by the fire. Some villagers have suffered burns and carbon monoxide poisoning as they tried to flee the terrible fire. All the survivors are depressed and terribly worried about what the future holds for them.

Helping Litton

Horgan said both provincial and federal authorities are already ready to offer affected residents any help they can. And he also said he received a promise of support from Ottawa during a conversation with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier in the day.

For the record:

Anomalous heat wave that has set in B.C. for more than a week now continues to cause damage. As of Thursday evening, there were at least 486 premature deaths reported in B.C., up 195% from normal. The horrendous heat wave is being blamed for what happened. The heat wave has also hit the Northwest United States, which has already resulted in 63 deaths in Oregon.