Lytton, BC, Sues CN, CP Rail and Transport Canada Over 2021 Fire That Razed Village

The remains of the village pool and debris covered properties that were destroyed by the 2021 wildfire are seen in Lytton, B.C., on June 15, 2022. The Canadian Press/Darryl Dyck

The Village of Lytton, B.C., and the Thompson-Nicola Regional District are suing Canada’s two national railways and Transport Canada, alleging they were negligent to let trains pass through the town during the deadly 2021 heat dome, before the community was razed by wildfire.

The notice of claim says a train passed through the village 18 minutes before the first report of a fire near the tracks that eventually destroyed 90 per cent of the town’s buildings and scorched an additional 837 square kilometres of land.