The crew trapped inside the cab of a locomotive during a wildfire in northwestern Ontario was safely rescued, according to a statement from the railway.
Video of a CN rail crew radioing for help inside of a locomotive surrounded by burning trees near Armstrong, Ont, quickly went viral Tuesday evening, highlighting the frightening extent of the northwestern Ontario wildfires.
“This could potentially overtake us here,” one of the unnamed railway employees is heard saying, as burning trees surround the locomotive. “This has gotten a little scary.”
Walking to the locomotive’s control stand, the crew member — who along with a second person appears to be inhabiting a remote-controlled engine located away from the head end — describes their plight over a two-way radio.
The crew member is heard saying, “Y’all need to hurry up here, like seriously — we’re encased by flames now.” A voice replied, telling him they are “notching up” — a railway term indicating that the engineer is applying throttle to set the locomotive in motion.
In a statement, the railway announced that the train’s crew members were all safely evacuated. The statement read, “CN has temporarily suspended rail operations near Armstrong as a precaution due to wildfire activity in the area.”
The railway is maintaining close contact with Ontario’s Ministry of Natural Resources and local authorities, and the safety of employees, the community, and emergency responders remain their top priority.
Armstrong is a terminal point for CN’s Caramat subdivision, a railway line that’s part of the railway’s transcontinental route for both freight and VIA Rail trains.
VIA Rail has also cancelled its Toronto-to-Vancouver Canadian passenger trains due to the fire risk.
