British Columbia·UpdatedThe ruling released Tuesday from Justice Ward Branch says there’s “some basis in fact” to support the plaintiffs’ allegations that the “horrific fire” was caused by railway operations, where CN and CP have parallel tracks that run through the town. Ruling says there’s ‘some basis in fact’ to support plaintiffs’ allegations fire caused by railway operationsThe Canadian Press · Posted: Dec 02, 2025 6:06 PM EST | Last Updated: 4 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A fast-moving fire burned most of Lytton, B.C., on June 30, 2021. (Edith Loring Kuhanga/Facebook)A British Columbia Supreme Court judge says a class-action lawsuit against Canadian Pacific and Canadian National railways can move ahead after a catastrophic fire in June 2021 burned most of the community of Lytton, B.C.The ruling released Tuesday from Justice Ward Branch says there’s “some basis in fact” to support the plaintiffs’ allegations that the “horrific fire” was caused by railway operations, where CN and CP have parallel tracks that run through the town. It says several lawsuits were filed after the fire, including by individuals and First Nations, and a “competing” class-action was denied certification in 2023. The representative plaintiff in the certified action is Carel Moiseiwitsch, whose home in Lytton was destroyed by the fire, along with the assets of her and her husband’s home-based information technology and design business. The judge’s decision says the woman alleges she was displaced by the fire and claims to have “lasting trauma” from having to escape and losing her home, her cat and “her way of life.” Another representative plaintiff, Jordan Spinks, is a member of the Kanaka Bar Indian Band who was displaced by the fire for “several months,” and says he lost his job and the fire took a toll on his mental health. The class is for those who suffered losses in the fire, and subclasses for family members of people who died as a result of the fire, and those who lost property that wasn’t covered by insurance. Two people were killed in the fire and most of the town was wiped out during a heat dome where the temperature reached a Canadian record of 49.6 C in Lytton the day before the fire.WATCH | Aerial images show extent of Lytton devastation:Aerial view of Lytton, B.C., shows wildfire devastationOfficials believe the wildfire that razed Lytton was caused by human activity, but the source is still under investigation.Anthony Vecchio, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs in the case, said a trial in the matter is scheduled to begin in May 2027.He said that the class-action lawsuit being certified means that his clients will now have access to documents held by CN and CP regarding that fateful day in 2021, as part of the discovery process.”We’re going to be on that right away, as quickly as we can,” the lawyer said.A burnt-out truck is seen in Lytton one year after the deadly fire that reduced the village to rubble. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC)Tricia Thorpe, a Thompson-Nicola Regional District director whose home was razed in the 2021 fire, said the class-action’s certification was good news — but it was her understanding that the railways would appeal the ruling.She said she spoke to another Lytton resident, who said she felt that someone was finally listening to residents’ concerns.Lytton resident Tricia Thorpe, now a director with the Thompson-Nicola Regional District, said the class-action certification was good news. (Gian Paolo Mendoza/CBC)”That feeling of abandonment has been front and centre for a lot of people — that nobody has really cared about the people that were impacted by this fire,” she told CBC News. “It’s been about the recovery of the village. It’s been about different, you know, government entities and things, but [not about] the actual people that once lived here and aren’t here anymore.”With files from the CBC’s Marcella Bernardo and Jenifer Norwell
Class-action lawsuit certified against CN and CP railways over Lytton, B.C., fire
