Report finds no evidence to back theory train started B.C. wilfire

Findings follow class-action suit against two railway firms over June 30 blaze that levelled town

VANCOUVER—There is no evidence to support the idea that a train was the cause of a wildfire that levelled the town of Lytton, B.C., this past summer, a report from the Transportation Safety Board has found.

The board’s findings Thursday come after much speculation within the community that a train could have started the blaze — and they’ve left Lytton residents with questions about what started the inferno that destroyed their beloved village.

“Based on this review, we have found no evidence to conclude that the Lytton fire was caused by railway activities in the area,” Kathy Fox, chair of the TSB, said during a video media conference.

“Consequently, we have concluded our investigation.”

Fox said the results do not 100 per cent rule out the possibility that a train could have been involved, but that there is no evidence to suggest it.

The cause of the wildfire is still under investigation by the BC Wildfire Service and the RCMP.

On June 30, a fire burned much of Lytton to the ground days after it had set a Canadian record by reaching a temperature of 49.6 C.

The village was home to about 250 people and about 2,000 Nlaka’pamux people live in the surrounding area. The fire went through the village in about 10 minutes, driven by 50 km/h wind.

Two people were killed and about $78 million worth of insured damage was done to property, according to the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

Though the TSB summation said no evidence had been found that a train started the fire, some former Lytton residents on Thursday questioned how thorough the investigation had been.

The report “seems like it’s thin,” says Judith Urquhart, who lost her home in the fire and now lives in Ashcroft, about an hour away.

“It just seems like there wasn’t enough information,” said Urquhart, an administrator of a 3,500-member Facebook group called Lyttonites.

“On Lyttonites, they’re having reaction to the news. People wanted to see it written differently today.”

Urquhart said some of the residents have urged patience as the other two investigations into the fire are completed, but that people are anxious to know what caused it.

They had hoped Thursday would bring them answers.

Soon after the blaze, video footage posted on social media showed sparks from a train passing through the area, but Canadian Pacific Railway said there wasn’t any indication a train had started a fire. Canadian National said the footage posted wasn’t related to Lytton.

In August, a proposed class-action lawsuit alleging the railway companies contributed to the fire was filed on behalf of those who lost homes or businesses. Neither railway company has filed a statement of defence.

According to the TSB summation, a CN Rail train with 157 cars passed through the area where the fire is suspected of starting 18 minutes prior to the first report of the fire.

The federal agency said an inspection of the train once it arrived in Metro Vancouver found no evidence of hot bearings or “other potential fire-creating causes.” It said no other anomalies were found.

The board also inspected samples of a coal-like substance taken from an area on the west side of the track suspected of being the source of the fire. The substance gathered had “little in common” with samples taken from an exhaust stack or a rail grinder vehicle for comparison.

Other tests were conducted on the locomotive to determine if sparks could have been caused and none was detected.

The board spoke to a number of witnesses for the investigation, but during Thursday’s media conference said it did not speak to any residents of Lytton.

Urquhart said she couldn’t comment on the board not interviewing residents for the paper without knowing what their mandate is. But, she said, the findings did come much more quickly than expected.

Residents had initially expected it to take as long as two years to hear the results, she said.

“I’m not sure why it came this fast,” she said.

“You can’t do this much damage and have a fast report.”