LYTTON (NEWS 1130) — A couple near Lytton who had their home completely destroyed by the massive wildfire last week received a little bit of relief when firefighters managed to find their animals.
On Wednesday, Tricia Thorpe and her husband were called out to help get some victims out of Lytton, but when the couple tried to return to their home — about three kilometres away — fire crews turned them away.
“I couldn’t get back into the valley because they said the fire was headed my way.”
The two then turned around to find another route out of the flames, but “we didn’t have hope.”
“We literally left with the clothes on our back. My husband didn’t even have his wallet. We had no time to prepare anything. We never imagined what would happen happened,” Thorpe tells NEWS 1130, adding they had to leave behind several animals.
The next day, Thorpe and her husband learned their property which included their home and barn, had been destroyed. They also heard that none of the animals could be found.
Heartwarming scene in Lytton, where firefighters found some of the animals that survived the fire. Jamie Von S writes this one property had adult dogs, and 7 puppies – all of them are OK, given clean water, puppy chow. Sheep and alpaca at the site also fine. @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/YcxW6BVuf7
— Tarnjit Kaur Parmar (@Tarnjitkparmar) July 4, 2021
However, on a drive to re-evacuate from the Lillooet to Kelowna evacuation centre, “We got the most miraculous phone call saying that some of our animals have survived.”
“Our niece’s husband had stayed — they’re across the road and down a bit from us — … to try and protect their house. He went over and he saw five or six puppies, a couple of adult dogs, and he saw a couple of sheep and one alpaca.”
Hearing some of her animals survived, Thorpe says, “I lost it. And I just cried and cried.”
“So every place that we have stopped, we have tried to get some services in for the animals,” she says.
However, trying to transport her animals out of the area has been another challenge in itself.
“I heard from my niece’s husband that a compost facility up the valley was allowed in with a police escort and three trailers to get their animals out. And so I was like, ‘Yay, I can get them out.’
“So I talked to [a] volunteer group, and they said, ‘Yeah, we’re on standby, but we’ve been trying to deal with the TNRD [Thompson-Nicola Regional District] and is they’re not really responding.'”
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Thorpe attempted to call them and says she was told, “We can’t get them out because we are not a commercial facility.”
“I fail to understand how a full commercial facility can go right past our place further up the valley closer to where the active fire is, get their animals out, and we can’t even get food into ours,” she says.
“I’m devastated because my niece’s husband across the way, he’d been managing to get some puppy food to the dogs, but he had nothing to feed the sheep and alpaca. And they hadn’t been fed since Wednesday … since the fire went through. And I was really worried. I know they had water, but no food.”
So, Thorpe turned to Facebook to share her story.
And not too long after, firefighters were able to get to the site.
“They found out there were not five or six puppies, there were seven. And they got them food. They got some alfalfa pellets to my sheep, and my alpaca. I am just so grateful to them. They have done so much,” Thorpe tells NEWS 1130.
“There’s so many people in that community that have lost everything. And they all rallied to help us and the fire crew.”
Two puppies of a litter of nine have died along with one adult livestock Guardian dog, Thorpe’s dog, her six goats, four to five sheep, all her chickens, guineafowl and peacocks.
“It’s devastating.”
Thorpe is now trying to get to her animals, but since she’s not part of a commercial facility, she can’t get into the site to get her animals, leaving her frustrated.
Fire crews are trying to determine ways to reunite owners with their pets.
Related Article: Record breaking temps have B.C. wildlife needing help
As of Sunday, the wildfire in Lytton has burned 8,732 hectares and forced the evacuation of the entire village. BC Coroners Service has confirmed two people were found dead in the village.
