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CN Railway to pay $1.25M for Minnesota forest fire damages

The 2016 Skibo fire blackened 973 acres in St. Louis County, and cost more than $1.5M in suppression costs.
Credit: KARE

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn. — The Canadian National Railway company and Wisconsin Central LTD will collectively pay $1.25 million to settle a pending lawsuit stemming from a 2016 fire in northeastern Minnesota that burned nearly 1,000 acres of land.

Federal prosecutors alleged in their legal filing that the May 6 fire, known as the Skibo fire due to the community near where it started, was caused by mechanical failure on a locomotive operated by Canadian National Railway company and Wisconsin Central LTD. 

By the time the fire was put down 387 acres had burned within the Superior National Forest, and another 585 acres belonging to St. Louis County and private landowners was blackened. The fire cost more than $1.5 million to control, threatened the nearby city of Hoyt Lakes and forced the evacuation of several residences in the community of Skibo, Minnesota.

The lawsuit was prepared against Canadian National Railway Company and Wisconsin Central LTD to recover damages tied to their alleged failure to properly maintain equipment that started the Skibo fire. 

“This settlement goes a long way toward compensating the public for the expense of fighting the fire and the damage to public lands,” said U.S. Attorney Erica MacDonald. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to aggressively pursue recovery against those whose carelessness damages our precious national resources.”

The case was settled prior to the United States filing suit.  

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