From smoke plumes in the distance to fire at the doorstep

“Growing up in Lytton, you’re used to fires,” said Nikiah Coghlan, who at age 33 has spent most of his life in the southern British Columbia village.

For the past 15 years or so, residents have anticipated the “seasonal” smoke plumes that rise from Lytton’s surrounding mountains. But Nikiah says that this pattern has changed since the village was flattened by fire in the summer of 2021. Nikiah, his wife Cle-Ann Coghlan and their children Anniah and Ella-Marie, lost their home on that fateful day — June 30, 2021.

On the day of the fire, Nikiah was working on his family’s organic farm, across the Fraser River. The family was harvesting cherries — the fruit so hot it smelled like it was cooking on a stovetop. Cle-Ann had just arrived at the farm after work. She was about to jump in the pond with the couple’s daughters when Nikiah’s relatives reported a fire in the village.

Nikiah set off to find out what was happening. He pulled up to the river crossing, where about 15 people were gathered, to find Lytton engulfed. Cle-Ann remembers Nikiah saying “it’s all gone” when they met on the road, minutes later. She evacuated to Lilloet, British Columbia, with the children, an hours-drive away. Nikiah stayed on the farm with his brother for a few days, where they were able to prevent further wildfire damage.

“I felt like the air — no matter where you were — was oxygen deprived because of how much was burning,” he said.

After the fires were out and the air cleared, Nikiah, Cle-Ann and the children moved to the farm, where they continue to stay with extended family. The rebuilding process has been long and, at times, frustrating for the couple, but “this is our home and our community,” said Nikiah. The couple never questioned rebuilding.

Cle-Ann added that packing up and selling the lot may have been easier. “We just grew up here and we love it too much to say goodbye,” she said.

A couple stands next to a house under construction

Nikiah and Cle-Ann Coghlan next to their MDS volunteer-built home in Lytton, British Columbia. MDS photo/Nikki Hamm Gwala

Perfect timing, four years later

The couple heard about Mennonite Disaster Service’s (MDS) presence in Lytton from the first homeowners MDS partnered with there. Cle-Ann reached out to the Response Co-coordinators, Gerald Dyck and Mark Rempel, in 2022. The correspondence between them continued over the years that followed, until it became clear that MDS could commit to building the family a house.

“It has been a pleasure to build a house with Nikiah and Cle-Ann. Nikiah has worked alongside us for the entire project, most often the first on site and the last to leave,” shared Rempel. “Cle-Ann has put her stamp on the house with her paint colour selections and was a regular visitor to the project site.”

Nikiah Coghlan, a wildfire survivor in Lytton, British Columbia, worked alongside MDS volunteers daily to build his family a new home. MDS photo/Nikki Hamm Gwala

Excavation was completed in November 2024, with the first MDS volunteer crew arriving in mid-April of this year. Approximately 30 volunteers served more than 2,500 hours to build the family’s three-bedroom home. The last crew completed their assignments in late June.

“It’s been great,” said Nikiah, who enjoyed seeing volunteers of different backgrounds, levels of experience and expertise come together.

“Everyone’s just so happy and positive, and genuinely wants to see good happen for our family,” added Cle-Ann.

The appreciation was mutual. Four MDS Canada Service Scholarship recipients served on the MDS Lytton Response. Rempel observed the homeowner couple go out of their way to connect and add to the young volunteers’ experiences in Lytton — facilitating hikes, gold panning and a picnic for the students.

“We’ve gotten to see the homeowners and the family quite a lot,” said Isabel Song, a Conrad Grebel University College student. “It’s really nice to have that connection because it puts more purpose into what you’re doing.”

Isabel Song, a 2025 MDS Canada Scholarship recipient, paints trim for the Coghlan family home in Lytton, British Columbia. MDS photo/Nikki Hamm Gwala

And while the family’s house was constructed four years after the fire, Cle-Ann maintains that it was the perfect timing. Hurdles like toxic ash removal, updates to the local building code and an archeological surveying requirement delayed construction, but she noted that, four years later, she and Nikiah now have the mental space needed to process their losses and rebuild.

Fire preparedness, empowering community and looking ahead

With increasing wildfire activity over the past few years, Nikiah aims to help his community become better prepared. This spring, he established a non-profit, the Lytton and Area Wildfire Preparedness Society, to spread awareness and provide vital information to residents about local water sources and mapping systems. The organization will also fund firefighter training and purchase equipment for volunteer firefighters in Lytton and the area.

Nikiah hopes for closer collaboration with BC Wildfire Service in the future. “Empowering a community is where it’s at,” he said.

Like the first MDS house in Lytton, the Coghlans’ house was built to fire resilient, net-zero ready standards. And with final contracted trades work scheduled, the family of four expects to move into their new house in late August.

Nikiah looks forward to picking up walk-by conversations with neighbours again, and Cle-Ann anticipates “a place to come and cook and celebrate.”

Nikki Hamm Gwala, MDS Canada Communications