Rebuild of first home in Lytton finally underway, 2.5 years after wildfire

It’s been a long time coming.

There is finally some encouraging news for frustrated evacuees who have been waiting to rebuild since the disastrous wildfire in the Village of Lytton two-and-a-half years ago.

After facing delay after delay, the first building permit has finally been issued and construction of a new home is underway.

The original home was destroyed in the fire in June of 2021, when most of the community burned to the ground. Since then, property owners have faced lengthy delays in trying to rebuild, even holding a rally in October to draw attention to the issue.

“This is the third Christmas people have been out of their homes, away from their community, so it is a long time and it’s difficult to think about,” said Lytton Mayor Denise O’Connor.

But the mayor says things are now moving in the right direction, with a number of other homes and businesses beginning the permit process, including a grocery store.

“Seeing it happen, I think, has spurred other people on to get moving and get going,” O’Connor said. “I think it just provides that sense of hope again, and optimism.”

There have been multiple reasons behind the rebuilding delays, said O’Connor, who also called the slow process “frustrating.”

“There’s been not only the debris removal and the cleanup and the … contaminated soil remediation, and then the backfilling and the archeology through it all,” she said. “But I think we’re in a really good place now.”

The mayor said most of the archeological assessments are now complete. The province earlier said about 7,000 First Nations artifacts had been found in the area.

O’Connor expects as many as 20 homes to be finished by Christmas 2024.

“I’m just finalizing my house plans and I hope to start early spring with the build as well,” said O’Connor, who also lost her home in the fire.