Transport Canada Investigates CN After 1 Rail Crew Fled Ontario Wildfire on Foot
Updated
Updated · CBC Sports · Jul 17
Transport Canada Investigates CN After 1 Rail Crew Fled Ontario Wildfire on Foot
3 articles · Updated · CBC Sports · Jul 17
Summary
Federal regulators are examining whether CN violated the Railway Safety Act or workplace safety rules after a freight crew near Armstrong, Ontario, had to abandon its train and escape a wildfire on foot.
Video from the scene showed flames on both sides of the track, and the Teamsters union said the workers were treated for smoke inhalation after one radioed that they were "encased in flames."
CN said it is conducting its own review and had already suspended freight traffic Monday on part of its northwestern Ontario main line, a key corridor for cross-country shipments.
Transport Canada said it could impose operational restrictions or other protective measures, while the union representing more than 10,000 rail workers urged CN to stop running trains through active fire zones.
The probe comes as roughly 190 wildfires burn across northern Ontario, triggering 10 community evacuations and already consuming more land than the province's entire 2025 fire season.