Lytton/Ottawa – Transport Canada via the Minister of Transport, the Honourable Omar Alghabra announced that Transport Canada is issuing a Ministerial Order in the interest of safe railway operations, and to protect public safety for the temporary return of residents to inspect their homes in Lytton.
A number of buses full of evacuees are heading back to the community to inspect their homes, or what is left of Lytton. 90% of the village was consumed by the recent wildfire.
The fire is considered “human caused” which leaves open the speculation that sparks from a passing train may have caused the initial; fire in town.
The Ministerial Order, which takes effects at 12:01 AM PDT on July 9, 2021, for a period of 48 hours unless revoked earlier in writing, requires:
- Canadian National Railway (CN) to cease movement of trains except for emergency fire response, and maintenance and repair work on its Ashcroft subdivision between Kamloops and Boston Bar, British Columbia; and
- Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) to cease movement of trains except for emergency fire response, and maintenance and repair work on its Thompson Subdivision between Kamloops and Boston Bar, British Columbia.
Aside from these requirements, trains located on these portions of the Ashcroft and Thompson subdivisions at 12:01 AM PDT are permitted to navigate the subdivisions for the purposes of exiting.
