OF THE
TIMES
The province's wildfire service said it had responded to the blaze in Lytton and confirmed on Thursday that there were four general clusters of multiple wildfires across British Columbia.There is speculation the fire was sparked by a CN train passing through the tinder-dry area:
"Ground crews, helicopters, air tankers, members from volunteer fire departments, and heavy equipment have responded and will continue to do so over the coming days," it said in a statement.
Before the scenes in Lytton, at least three major wildfires were burning in British Columbia, with 26 blazes having started between Tuesday and Wednesday alone.
CN Rail is "evaluating" the status of its train traffic through the bone-dry B.C. Interior after a fast-moving fire on Wednesday destroyed much of the Village of Lytton — a blaze thought to have been sparked by a passing train.
The fire in Lytton is believed to have began at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Based on accounts from those in the village at the time, it moved quickly. Some estimates on Thursday have said as much as 90 per cent of the village was burned.
Global BC is reporting investigators believe the fire was sparked by a passing train, citing sources at the Thompson-Nicola Regional District.
Castanet reached out to both major Canadian railways, each of which run through Lytton, for comment and asked whether any thought is being given to stopping trains until conditions in the Interior improve.
"Pertaining to the impact on our operation, we are evaluating this, but our focus now being the safety and support of the community," CN spokesman Mathieu Gaudreault said in a statement.
According to Gaudreault, CN finds the Lytton blaze "deeply distressing" and very concerning.
"We have reached out to local elected officials to offer our assistance," he said.
"We want to offer our support to the people of the First Nation of Lytton and we are committed in assisting this community during this tragic event."
A CP Rail spokesman said his railway was focusing on helping in any way it can in the aftermath of the Lytton fire.
"Our focus is on assisting emergency response operations in the town of Lytton," Andy Cummings told Castanet via email.
Comment: Wildfire smoke now covers much of the United States