A fast-spreading wildfire that grew sixfold Friday night near Lytton has prompted an evacuation order, highway closures, an air quality warning and a local state of emergency.

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Area residents — including some who survived the deadly 2021 wildfire that burned down the community during a record heat dome — were told to pack their bags and leave immediately.

UPDATE: Rapidly spreading wildfire prompts evacuation orders, state of emergency near Lytton Back to video

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District has declared a state of local emergency in Blue Sky Country, a wilderness district that surrounds the Village of Lytton. Officials said the blaze “rapidly escalated” Friday night in the Highway 1 corridor in areas north and south of Lytton.

In an update Saturday, the B.C. Wildfire Service said the Saw Creek blaze, which broke out Friday and is believed to be human caused, was mapped at six square kilometres, up from one sq. km Friday night. It had grown to seven sq. km by Sunday morning.

Shae Stearns, a fire information officer, said the fire is burning right alongside the highway. She didn’t know if it had jumped the highway or how far away the flames were from the nearest home but said crews were working to protect structures in the area.

“The fire originated approximately three kilometres south of Lytton and that’s where yesterday we did see a majority of that growth,” she said. “We also had south winds, so it grew toward the north.”

More than 60 firefighters, along with air support and crews from Lytton Fire and Rescue, are aiding in the fight.

“This morning we did have those winds switch, so now there’s more of a northerly wind. We still have a presence on both sides, but there is now a priority looking at the southern flank there with that wind switch, so that’s something that crews will continue to monitor,” said Stearns on Saturday.

All properties east of Highway 1 within village boundaries, including Ponderosa Heights, as well as all properties south of Sumsheen ShchEma-meet School (not including the school itself) are under an evacuation order. For residents with properties still on evacuation alert, a boil water advisory is in place.

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By Sunday, the evacuation alerts and one order were amended but the core order for the south portion of Lytton was still in place.

Environment and Climate Change Canada posted an air quality warning for the Fraser Canyon Saturday, saying the region would likely be impacted by wildfire smoke over the weekend.

The federal weather agency warns that during a wildfire, smoke conditions can change quickly over short distances and can vary considerably hour by hour.

“If you have been evacuated and have safe accommodations with friends or family, please travel safely to those locations and register at ess.gov.bc.ca,” the Village of Lytton advised Friday night. “Hotel rooms are in short supply in Kamloops, Merritt and Lillooet.”

Highway 1 remained closed Sunday between Boston Bar and Ashcroft for 117 kilometres, according to Drive B.C. Drivers were advised to use Highway 5 and Highway 97C as alternative routes.

B.C. Hydro reported major power outages in the area Saturday but it was restored to most customers by Sunday morning.

Firefighters and firefighting equipment from some municipal fire departments, including Clearwater Village, Barriere and Chilliwack, were en route to Lytton to assist the B.C. Wildfire Service crews.

In one fortunate turn of events, a fire crew from Barriere travelling to assist at Lytton came across a separate fire near Ashcroft, about 150 kilometres away from their destination, as they drove past around 9 p.m. on Friday.

Ashcroft Fire Rescue posted on social media on Friday night: “Ashcroft and area residents are no strangers to wildfire and given the winds and high temps of the day, this particular fire had the potential to be something terrible.”

On social media, Premier David Eby offered his thanks to the fire crews and first responders working to get the blaze under control and support evacuees, and said “all our thoughts are with the people of Lytton and surrounding communities who have already been through so much.”

The B.C. Wildfire Service said as of Sunday there are 16 active wildfires burning in the province, with four of those igniting since Friday. Saw Creek is the only wildfire of note and just one other, a small fire northeast of Oliver that was spotted Saturday, is still out of control.

In 2021, a wildfire ignited south of Lytton one day after the village hit a record 49.6 C during B.C.’s deadly heat dome. The blaze destroyed much of the village and two people died.

Five years later, the village is still undergoing a slow rebuild from that devastating blaze, despite more than $140 million in federal and provincial funding. Lytton’s mayor Denise O’Connor has said the biggest roadblock to rebuilding homes has been the “exorbitant and prohibitive” cost of the archeological work required.

The B.C. government largely expected the village to rebuild on its own, and not all the money it promised has been distributed, says the province’s new auditor general.

In a March report, Bridget Parrish found the NDP government “did not have a comprehensive legal framework to guide disaster recovery” at the time of the wildfire.

With files from Julia Peterson and Alec Lazenby