CN Rail Freight Train Caught in Wildfire Inferno

When a crew member hit “record” on his phone, he probably didn’t expect to capture a train literally surrounded by fire. The footage, posted online earlier this week, shows a CN Rail freight locomotive sitting idle on the tracks while orange‑tongued flames lick its left side.

It wasn’t a stunt. The train was stopped to let another unit pass, and that pause gave a nearby wildfire—one of more than 130 burning across northwest Ontario—just enough time to creep up the right-of‑way. A voice, calm but edged with nerves, can be heard muttering, “This could potentially overtake us here. This has gotten a little scary.”

As the fire dances around the engine, the operator radios in, “OK, y’all need to hurry up here, like, seriously. We’re encased in flames now.” The language is almost laughably understated, given the heat licking the metal, but it conveys the sheer bewilderment of being trapped in a moving inferno.

Fortunately, the blaze passes quickly, sparing the locomotive’s critical components. An oncoming train barrels past, the camera shakes, and the clip ends—presumably as the crew scrambles to safety.

CN Rail confirmed that all employees in the Armstrong area were evacuated overnight Monday. In an email, a company spokesperson said operations near Armstrong, Ontario, have been temporarily suspended as a precaution, and that they’re staying in close contact with the Ministry of Natural Resources and local authorities.

The incident has sparked outrage. Teamsters Canada Rail Conference President Paul Boucher praised the crew’s composure but blasted CN for putting a train on a line that was clearly a fire zone. “The company knows exactly how bad the situation is,” he said. “This should never have happened.”

Adding to the drama, three other trains carrying flammable cargo were stranded near Collins First Nation, about 20 miles west of Armstrong, after wildfires forced the entire community to flee by boat across Collins Lake. The smoke has turned Toronto’s air quality into the world’s worst, while yellow‑tinged skies drift over parts of the northern United States.

For now, the focus remains on safety and cleanup. CN says the safety of its employees, the community, and emergency responders is its top priority as the wildfire season drags on.