The Transportation Safety Board says new information it received on the suspected source of the fire that raced through Lytton, B.C., potentially involving a freight train has prompted it to launch an investigation.
The board says in a statement the information came as a result of investigations by the RCMP and BC Wildfire Service into the cause of the fire.
The safety board says it is not yet known which rail line is linked to the train in question and neither Canadian Pacific Rail nor Canadian National Rail has filed any occurrence reports related to the Lytton fire.
No cause for the fire that destroyed much of the village and killed two people has been disclosed, although local Indigenous leaders say train movement during drought-like conditions made people anxious.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra is ordering most trains in the vicinity of Lytton, B.C., to halt as residents return temporarily to the wildfire-scorched community.
Alghabra says the Canadian National and Canadian Pacific railways must cease movement for 48 hours, except for emergency fire response and maintenance and repair work, on stretches of track spanning parts of the British Columbia interior.
To protect safety of residents who will be inspecting their homes in Lytton, B.C., our government is requiring CN and CP to cease operations for 48hrs. We will continue to work with Indigenous leaders during this difficult time. https://t.co/exF9b5FCkK
— Omar Alghabra (@OmarAlghabra) July 9, 2021
He says the aim is safe rail operations and public safety as residents arrive in Lytton today by bus to inspect their homes after evacuating the village when a wildfire swept in last week.
The raging blazes have damaged rail tracks and held up shipments across the B.C. interior, prompting a backlog of deliveries.
Residents are still processing the loss of their homes after most buildings in their community were levelled by the wildfires, one of which spanned nearly 90 square kilometres.
Premier John Horgan plans to ask the federal government to send in the Canadian Armed Forces to help clear fire danger zones in an effort to prevent future blazes.
