‘Lytton is gone’: wildfire tears through village after record-breaking heat

Officials didn't have time to issue evacuation orders while dry conditions make suppressing wildfires in Canada impossible

After three days of unrelenting heat, the people in the British Columbia village of Lytton were hoping for a modest respite.

Temperatures which had shattered longstanding national records - at one point reaching a blistering 49.6C (121.28F) - eased slightly on Wednesday, raising hopes that the worst was over.