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TSB to release findings of Lytton fire investigation on Thursday

Lytton probe to be revealed

An announcement is expected Thursday from investigators looking into whether the wildfire that devastated the Village of Lytton was sparked by a passing train.

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada said it will release its investigative findings at 10 a.m. on Thursday, followed by a news conference an hour later.

Just before 5 p.m. on June 30, a fire was sparked near Lytton. The blaze moved quickly toward the townsite, eventually burning many buildings and homes — an estimated 90 per cent of the community's structures.

“Initial investigations conducted by the RCMP and BC Wildfire Service into the fire’s ignition point raised concerns regarding the potential involvement of a freight train,” the TSB said earlier in a statement regarding its investigation, which began on July 9.

The Interior had been experiencing record heat for days prior to the fire. In Lytton, an Environment Canada weather station recorded a temperature of 49.4 C the day before the fire, according to the TSB.

The TSB said previously the investigation would involve locomotive inspections.



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