A Canadian Town Only Hours from Hope Valley Just Burned Down

A small town only hours away from where Hallmark’s “When Calls the Heart” films in Canada has burned down after a wildfire hit the village. This happened while a major heatwave hit Canada just days after “When Calls the Heart” crew began prepping for filming. The Hope Valley set was not affected by the wildfires.

MacInnes Farms, Where ‘When Calls the Heart’ Is Filmed, Is Only 4 Hours from the Town that Burned Down

The town of Lytton was making national news when it recorded higher temperatures than almost anywhere else in Canada during the heatwave. Sadly, the dry conditions made it nearly impossible to suppress wildfires. Following three days of record-breaking heat, a wildfire started northeast of Vancouver and spread so quickly that everyone had to be evacuated. About 90% of the town was destroyed in just one day, reported DH News Vancouver.

According to Google Maps, MacInnes Farms, where “When Calls the Heart” is filmed, is only a little more than four hours away from Lytton by car. That’s approximately 226 kilometers or 140 miles.

“When Calls the Heart” is filmed at the Jamestown movie set in Canada, a 96-acre land in Langley, British Columbia, on MacInnes Farms.

The Community of Just 250 Had to Be Evacuated

Lytton is a small community of only about 250 people, The Guardian reported. Residents were warned about a 123-acre fire south of the village that was slowly nearing the town. However, a new fire started unexpectedly nearby, and it was that fire that destroyed the town.

Edith Loring-Kuhanga, school administrator, kept people updated on Twitter about what has been happening.

https://twitter.com/EdithLK/status/1410367220585099266

She shared that the fire started around 4:30 p.m. on June 30. Lytton is only about three hours from Vancouver.

Noeleen McQuarry-Budde told The Star that she had to flee the fire so fast that she didn’t even have time to put on her shoes. She said they got 11 people into the back of hteir truck and fled to Lillooet and slept in a recreation center that night. She said the fire felt like it was coming from all directions.

You Can Contribute to a GoFundMe to Help

If you want to help Lytton, you can donate to the town’s GoFundMe. As of the time of publication, more than $179,000 CAD has been raised.

https://twitter.com/EdithLK/status/1410656169677377539

The GoFundMe reads: “Lytton and the surrounding area has experienced tragic losses from the fire. We are still trying to account for all our people, and countless family homes were lost. We are raising funds to support community members during this horrible emergency and to help us rebuild. On behalf of Lytton First Nation we have created this page and we are a qualified donee with Charity status and can provide tax receipts. All funds will directly benefit the Lytton community. We appreciate any support and prayers for our people.”

‘When Calls the Heart’ Crew Have Been Enduring the Heatwave While Prepping for a New Season

Peter DeLuise, director for “When Calls the Heart,” shared on June 25, 2021, that prep had officially started for Season 9.

Jamestown Movie Set shared the next day on Facebook that a heatwave in Canada would include the MacInnes Farms location. Temperatures were expected to hit 113 degrees Fahrenheit, they wrote.

DeLuise has been sharing updates about how they’ve been dealing with the heat.

He also shared a photo of work they’re doing on the Mercantile as they get ready for the new season.

In an interview with Charisma Podcast Network’s Greenelines podcast, creator Brian Bird revealed that season 9 would begin filming in just six weeks from the interview’s date, which was June 14. This puts the start of filming as happening roughly around the week of July 19-23. So filming hadn’t started yet when the heatwave and wildfires were breaking out.

The set was not affected by wildfires in the region.

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