Wheel fell off RCMP trailer, igniting Lytton, B.C., fire that triggered evacuations

Mounties say a wildfire that has triggered evacuations near Lytton, B.C. was caused when a wheel fell off an RCMP trailer in a "tremendously unfortunate" incident.

Staff Sgt. Kris Clark says in a statement that the "equipment failure" that ignited the Izman Creek fire, about 250 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, happened on Tuesday afternoon on Highway 12.

The wildfire began a day after the fourth anniversary of a blaze that destroyed most of the village of Lytton, and it's now grown to 130 hectares and has been upgraded to the only wildfire of note in the province.

Clark says it appears the right-side wheel of the trailer was "ejected" in the incident that caused a fire in a grass-filled ditch.

Clark says an officer tried to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher, but was unsuccessful, and the BC Wildfire Service quickly dispatched crews to fight the fire.

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

The Izman Creek fire is among about 90 fires burning in the province but is the only fire of note, meaning that it's creating an increased level of interest.

The wildfire service says in its latest situational report that cool conditions and thunderstorms are in the forecast for much of the province, bringing a low-to-moderate chance of lightning.

The BC Wildfire Service says nearly 75 per cent of blazes burning in B.C. have been sparked by lightning.

It says the Fort Nelson area in the northeast is getting the most rain, which will help reduce the intensity of the fires there.

The service says north and central B.C. will see seasonal temperatures, and while there may be a slight drop in temperature in the south, hot and dry conditions are expected to linger.

The Izman Creek fire has triggered localized evacuation orders and alerts from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, and an evacuation Alert from the Lytton First Nation.

The community is still in the process of rebuilding from the 2021 fire that killed two people and wiped out much of the village and part of the Lytton First Nation four years ago on Monday.

The service says about 36 per cent of the wildfires actively burning in the province are classified as out of control, 30 per cent are being held and 34 per cent are under control.