Canadian National Railway (CN) has been ordered to pay $16.2 million in damages after being found responsible for a devastating 2015 forest fire in British Columbia. Blacklock's Reporter says the B.C. Court of Appeal upheld the ruling, which includes penalties under the province's Wildfire Act, holding corporations accountable for wildfires they cause."Canadian National Railway caused a wildfire," wrote Justice Janet Winteringham in her decision, emphasizing that CN had admitted responsibility. The penalties include $8.9 million for property damage, $7 million for firefighting costs, a $75,000 administrative penalty, and $52,190 for lost timber, totaling $16,171,797.The fire, which began on June 11, 2015, near Lytton, B.C., was sparked by a CN crew cutting rail during lunchtime. The fire quickly spread due to extreme hazard conditions and strong winds, ultimately destroying 5,920 acres and taking four months to fully extinguish."The fire spread rapidly to the north and west due to dry fuel conditions, strong winds from the south, steep terrain, and limited ability to use air support," noted the B.C. Forest Appeals Commission in a 2020 report. The blaze forced the evacuation of a First Nations community and put the town of Lytton on evacuation alert.Winteringham highlighted the lengthy legal process, which spanned nine years across various courtrooms and tribunals. "Canadian National admitted it caused the initial wildfire and that it was responsible for some of the firefighting costs and damaged resources," she wrote.This case is separate from a 2021 fire that destroyed the town of Lytton, which is currently the subject of an insurance claim against CN. However, a federal investigation found no evidence linking CN to the 2021 fire, which occurred during a firestorm on June 30, 2021, amid extreme heat, dry conditions, and high winds.The Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the 2021 fire included soil testing, crew interviews, satellite imagery review, and inspections of train and track components. The Board concluded that CN was not responsible for the 2021 blaze, stating, "The Board has not identified any link between railway operations and the fire.""No rail grinding activities or track work had taken place in the area that day or in the days before the first report of fire," the Board added, confirming that inspections of the train found no anomalies that could have sparked the fire.
