WATCH: Hellish wildfire overtakes CN train, crew in Canada 

“We’re encased in flames,” crew radios

(Screengrab via YouTube)

In a scene that looked more like AI-generated special effects than a day on the railroad, a Canadian National crew were rescued after a wildfire inferno threatened to engulf their train in northern Ontario.

Video shot by the unidentified crew from inside the cab shows a massive wall of flames surrounding the locomotive as they plead by radio with CN (NYSE: CNI) operations personnel to hurry a rescue.

“This could potentially overtake us here, this has gotten a little scary,” a crewman calmly observes, as a sweep of the camera shows a firestorm of burning trees around the train.

The crew were stopped for a red signal and a meet with another train. A longer version of the video shows the oncoming train appear out of the red smoke and flames, moving at high speed. 

“Y’all need to hurry up here, like, seriously, we’re encased in flames now,” says another crewman.

The fire seems to dissipate, then jumps the tracks and starts burning trees on the opposite side of the locomotive.

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Stuart Chirls

Stuart Chirls is a journalist who has covered the full breadth of railroads, intermodal, container shipping, ports, supply chain and logistics for Railway Age, the Journal of Commerce and IANA. He has also staffed at S&P, McGraw-Hill, United Business Media, Advance Media, Tribune Co., The New York Times Co., and worked in supply chain with BASF, the world's largest chemical producer. Reach him at stuartchirls@firecrown.com.