FILE PHOTO - The Lytton Creek wildfire destroyed 90% of the village in 2021 and rebuilding efforts are still in the early stages.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Denise O'Connor
June 20, 2023 - 7:00 PM
The Village of Lytton and the Thompson Nicola Regional District are taking rail companies and the federal government to court two years after the village was destroyed by a wildfire.
Roughly 90% of Lytton was razed in the wildfire that eventually covered more than 83,000 hectares in 2021. The Village and the regional district claim to have covered costs for the emergency response, debris removal and clean-up, along with the fire investigation, according to court documents.
They are now taking CP Rail, CN Rail and Transport Canada to court in an attempt to recover those costs, along with further costs that may be awarded by a judge.
The notice of claim was filed in BC Supreme Court on June 16, nearly two years after the Lytton Creek wildfire was discovered on June 30, 2021.
A day earlier, the village set a new heat record for the country at 49.6 C, amid the heat dome. A CP train passed through the village the next day on a CN Railway, according to the claim.
The fire was reported near the railway just 18 minutes after the train passed, quickly spreading into the village. Not only did the fire destroy buildings and infrastructure, but two people died in the fire as they sought refuge in an unused septic hole.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada concluded there was no evidence of a link between the wildfire and the passing train, according to news release in October 2021.
However, the village and the regional district claim Transport Canada should have ordered both rail companies to cease their operations through Lytton due to the extreme wildfire risk at the time.
According to court documents, the village and regional district claim it was the negligence of both Transport Canada and the rail companies that caused the fire.
None of their claims have been proven in court and none of the three defendants have filed a response.
There is also a proposed class action lawsuit by the residents of Lytton against the train companies.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Levi Landry or call 250-819-3723 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.
We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above.
News from © iNFOnews, 2023