Union denounces CN for sending rail crew through active wildfire in Ontario

A trade union representing railworkers is calling on Canadian National Railway to stop operating through active wildfire zones after a crew had to be evacuated from a train that was engulfed in fire.

A video of the incident shared widely on social media on Tuesday showed orange-red flames closing in on the train as trees burned on both sides of the tracks.

The Teamsters said the train was operated by its members and the union’s director of communications Marc-André Gauthier said the crew had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

The crew had been operating the train near the town of Armstrong, in northwestern Ontario, where wildfires have been raging out of control and sending smoke south, choking the skies over Toronto and other regions.

CN Railway said in a statement Thursday that it is investigating the circumstances around the incident. The rail company previously said that the train crew was safely evacuated from the area and it has temporarily suspended rail operations near Armstrong.

Gauthier accused CN of knowingly sending railworkers into the fire and endangering their lives. He said the union is trying to get the bottom of the company's decision.

"We know that CN has some sort of system in place to monitor the conditions around the railroads. But what happened that day?"

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 16, 2026.

– With files from Allison Jones

By Kathryn Mannie | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.