An RCMP equipment failure accidentally ignited a wildfire near Lytton, B.C., a community still recovering after being levelled by fire four years earlier.

On Canada Day, a Mountie towing a police boat on Highway 12 northeast of Lytton, B.C., caused a grass fire when a trailer wheel ejected into a ditch, said B.C. RCMP Staff Sergeant Kris Clark. The officer was searching for a missing swimmer, according to the Globe and Mail.

The officer used a fire extinguisher on the flames but was unable to contain the ensuing blaze, forcing the closure of Highway 12.

Staff Sgt. Clark called the preceding events a “tremendously unfortunate set of circumstances,” and urged the need for “extreme caution” during another long wildfire season for the province.

On Thursday, 86 wildfires were burning in B.C., seven of which were deemed out of control.

The out-of-control Izman Creek fire, northeast of Vancouver, grew to 155 hectares yesterday, with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District ultimately issuing an evacuation order for nine properties.

Clark told CityNews the BC Wildfire Service “quickly” dispatched crews, including three attack crews, one unit crew, three personnel, and three helicopters, to combat the Lytton wildfire.

Lytton Mayor Denise O’Connor noted the fire’s timing: exactly four years prior, a fast-moving blaze, following three days of record-breaking 49.6°C heat, had razed the village and killed two residents. “Even four years later, it’s still very, very real for people,” O’Connor told the Globe.

Experts attribute "anthropogenic climate trends" and "internal variability" to the record-breaking temperature spikes that caused the devastating wildfire.

Only 40% of Lytton residents had insurance, making reconstruction difficult. Essential businesses like grocery stores, pharmacies, and banks are still absent.

Only eleven homes, including the mayor's, are occupied, with six more under construction, as well as critical infrastructure.

Rebuilding efforts in Lytton stalled after the Izman Creek fire. A smaller, 5.73-hectare fire near the village is now under control, largely due to local volunteers.

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