Sparks from RCMP trailer ignited wildfire near Lytton, B.C., say police

Sparks from an RCMP trailer are responsible for a wildfire burning near Lytton, B.C., police say. 

The Izman Creek wildfire north of the village began around 2:20 p.m. PT on Tuesday, when the right side wheel of the trailer flew off, causing sparks to ignite the dry grass ditch.

The fire was started a day after the fourth anniversary of a blaze that destroyed most of Lytton, and has since grown to 130 hectares and been upgraded to the only wildfire of note in the province.

"What appears to have happened is that equipment failure of an RCMP trailer resulted in the accidental ignition of the wildfire," said Sgt. Kris Clark, senior media relations officer for the B.C. RCMP.

"The officer did stop immediately and tried to engage the flames with their fire extinguisher. However, the conditions obviously spread the fire very quickly and they were unable to contain the fire," said Clark.

The trailer was carrying equipment for a police dive team that was searching for a missing swimmer in Seton Lake, about 100 kilometres northwest of Lytton.

The Izman Creek fire covered an area of 130 hectares as of 9:30 a.m. PT Thursday, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service, a more than quadrupling in size from the 25 hectares recorded on Tuesday night.

The fire was upgraded to a wildfire of note on Thursday morning, a category of blazes that means a fire is especially visible or poses a risk to public safety.

Clark said the B.C. Wildfire Service was immediately notified after the accident and crews were quickly dispatched to combat the fire. 

"It's just another reminder for extreme caution," said Clark. "It doesn't take much to start a fire in our wildfire season. Conditions are dry and, you know, something, something small, simple can cause, you know, a significant wildfire."

"I mean, it's just a reminder how quickly something like this can happen … we've seen a number of situations where we've seen motor vehicle crashes or something like that where, you know, that have started fires," said Clark.

On Sunday, a vehicle crashed on Highway 5A along the north tip of Nicola Lake, just outside of Merritt, and caught fire, igniting a bush near the shoulder of the road.

A witness said the driver of the vehicle swerved to avoid hitting a fox on the road, police say, however the driver refused a breath test by RCMP and was subsequently issued a driving prohibition by the officer.

There were 85 wildfires burning in B.C. as of about 12 p.m. PT Thursday, 34 of which were classified as out of control, including the Izman Creek fire.