A year after a wildfire destroyed the western Canadian village of Lytton, residents, municipal leaders, and the British Columbia government are grappling with the slow and costly reality of future-proofing a community against climate change.
The remote village sits at the confluence of the Fraser and Thompson rivers in the high, dry mountains of interior B.C., making it a bullseye for fires and landslides. In June 2021, 90% of Lytton's structures burned down, a day after the village recorded Canada's hottest-ever temperature.
Now officials have a unique opportunity to rebuild an entire community from scratch using fire-safe materials and energy efficient building standards.