MEC&F Expert Engineers : BNSF Railway train caught fire on its way through Flagstaff, AZ

Thursday, May 28, 2015

BNSF Railway train caught fire on its way through Flagstaff, AZ




MAY 27, 2015

FLAGSTAFF, AZ
 
A BNSF Railway train caught fire on its way through Flagstaff Tuesday morning.

BNSF spokesperson Lena Kent said the fire started around 9:45 a.m. inside a car on a train used by the freight company to transport employees for BNSF business. The train, which was heading west toward California, stopped behind the Railroad Springs neighborhood in west Flagstaff.

“It was just the one business car that had a fire inside in the kitchen area,” Kent said.

The Flagstaff Fire Department dispatched four units and a battalion chief to the smoking train car. They worked with BNSF personnel to put out the flames. The fire was extinguished before it could spread to any other cars on the train.

“It was put out and that train has been moved,” Kent said.

One person was treated for smoke inhalation. No other injuries were reported.
“We did have people onboard but nobody was injured,” Kent said.

The affected car was removed from the tracks. The rest of the train was then allowed to continue on to its final destination in California.

Kent stressed that although the fire was technically on a passenger train, no members of the public were on it.

“We don’t use it for the general public,” Kent said. “You can’t buy a ticket like an Amtrak train. It’s not a passenger train in that fashion, but it does hold passengers. It’s not a freight car. It’s what we use for our own personal company business.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Source: http://azdailysun.com