Railway sparks caused massive Timmins fire: MNR
The Ministry of Natural Resources has sent a $13 million invoice to Canadian National Rail to cover the cost to fight the 40,000-hectare fire that burned between Timmins and Gogama last year.
Ministry of Natural Resources says fires are often caused by railway activity
The Ministry of Natural Resources has sent a $13 million invoice to Canadian National Rail to cover the cost of fighting the 40,000-hectare fire that burned between Timmins and Gogama last year.
The MNR said its investigation showed the cause of the fire was hot metal fragments from a CN train that ignited dry grass.
The fire started in May and burned for five months.
"It is not unusual for us to send invoices to railways because there are often fires caused by railway activity," said Jolanta Kowalski, a spokesperson with the ministry.
"This year in the northeast, investigators found that railways had caused 56 fires."
A spokesperson for CN says the company's policy is not to comment on claims or pending claims by any party against the company.