CN Safety Protocols Questioned After Crew Narrowly Escapes Wildfire

A work crew's narrow escape from a train car surrounded by wildfire flames on July 13 near Armstrong, Ont., has drawn scrutiny to Canadian National Railway (CN).

According to reporting from CBC News and blogTO, video captured from inside the car shows workers looking through windows at an inferno. In the footage, an occupant is heard saying, "we are encased in flames now," and urging others to hurry. The video appears to show the crew waiting at a meeting point for another train to cross while flames surround the cabin.

CN Rail confirmed to blogTO that the crews were safely evacuated. In a statement to CBC News, a company spokesperson noted that CN temporarily suspended rail operations in the area as a precaution and evacuated employees and residents of the Town of Armstrong on Monday night. The company stated that the safety of employees, the community, and emergency responders is its "top priority."

However, the incident has prompted demands for accountability. Sol Mamakwa, the NDP MPP for Kiiwetinoong, told CBC News that the crew member who recorded the video worries about being reprimanded because company policy prohibits filming. Mamakwa stated the worker "wasn't sure if he was going to survive" and argued that CN should provide support through the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) rather than repercussions.

Adding to the regional crisis, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) reported on Tuesday that three trains carrying flammable and combustible materials were stopped and staged between mile markers 20 and 23 of the Allanwater Subdivision near Collins, Ont., due to wildfire activity.