Fire sparked by RCMP trailer near Lytton, B.C., is being held and is downgraded

The Izman Creek fire burning north of Lytton, B.C. is seen in this handout photo on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — BC Wildfire Service (Mandatory Credit)

A wildfire near Lytton, B.C., that ignited when a wheel fell off an RCMP trailer and prompted evacuations is now classified as “being held” and is no longer considered likely to spread.

The BC Wildfire Service says the change is due to “significant efforts” of firefighters with the help of favourable weather, which means the Izman Creek blaze is no longer considered a wildfire of note.

The loss of that classification — which designates that a fire is generating particular interest, is highly visible or a threat to public safety — means there are no wildfires of note in B.C.

The wildfire north of Lytton was sparked on July 1 by the RCMP vehicle failure in what Mounties have said was an unfortunate incident, a day after the fourth anniversary of a fire that destroyed most of the village.

The service says staff will remain on-site at the wildfire, which is listed as about 240 hectares in size, to continue mop-up and patrol to “ensure the area remains secure.”

It is one of about 70 active fires across the province, about 20 per cent of which are classified as burning out of control.

The latest BC Wildfire Service situation report says high winds were expected to continue across the province Wednesday, mainly in the northeast and southeast regions.

“These winds will increase fire behaviour, dry out fuels and could allow new wildfires to spread easily,” the report says.

It says some thundershowers are expected in the North Peace and southern Interior regions, adding that new lightning-caused wildfires are expected in areas that have had minimal rainfall.

The wildfire service says about 80 per cent of the active fires are lightning-caused while about 15 per cent are human-caused. The rest are undetermined.

The service says temperatures are below seasonal but are expected to be warmer and drier Thursday and Friday.

The BC Wildfire Service also said in a post to Facebook Tuesday night that it had deployed air tankers to help wildfire suppression efforts on a blaze in Washington state, south of Highway 3, between Christina Lake and Trail.

“At this time there is no threat to the Canada-US border,” the post says.

This report by Brieanna Charlebois, The Canadian Press, was first published July 9, 2025.