Lytton, a village in British Columbia, Canada burns as it faces the brunt of wildfire that was caused after it recorded the highest ever temperature in Canada. Critical infrastructure was burned and people could be seen fleeing as Lytton burned, soring as high as 49.6C (121.3F). The flame had spread through the entire land in less than 15 minutes and while the mayor had ordered people to be evacuated, severe damage had already been caused, as inferred from the charred remains.
Located about 260 kilometers north-east of Vancouver, Lytton is home to about 250 people. On Wednesday as a screen of smoke covered the village and smoke engulfed the area, people hastily fled with whatever belongings they could put together. The wildfire that emanated out of the scorching temperatures torched up 90% of the village. Mayor of Lytton, Jan Polderman stated that he felt lucky to get out with his own life. “There won’t be very much left of Lytton,” he said. “There was fire everywhere.”
In recent times, abnormally high temperatures have been recorded in multiple pockets throughout North America, Canada being no exception. This has caused a drastic rise in resulting casualties in loss of life. British Columbia has recorded as many as 486 deaths in just the last five days which is drastically more than the average 165 death toll. At the center of the heatwave, villages in Canada burn to catastrophic fire that is likely to have a long standing consequence. Titled ‘Canada’s hot spot’, the significance of the name has taken a new turn, perhaps into a darker corner.
The severity of the heat while having the maximum impact on Lytton has also wreaked havoc in several other parts scattered throughout the North American region. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and US President Joe Biden warned about the threat of the wildfires. Chief Coroner Lisa Lapointe officially blamed the extreme weather as the cause of the devastating incident. In the past three to five years, the western province had only seen as many as three heat-related deaths.
While temperatures have lessened in the coastal regions in Canada, the inland regions have not seen much respite from the intense heat. With the world seeing changes in weather patterns every year, the situation is becoming more critical with passing time. It is not the responsibility of places affected by the cataclysmic effects of weather to work towards saving the world but that of every nation everywhere to ensure that the future is safe place and has less occurrences of such tragic upheavals.
