Fire Department

A possible electrical malfunction could be to blame for a fire that caused approximately $75,000 in damage to a railroad car.

Firefighters noted heavy black smoke coming from the end of a passenger train car as they responded to a rail yard near the 1800 block of East Johnson Street. A worker on site said he was doing some work on the car when a breaker tripped and he heard a loud pop from behind a refrigerator. Smoke and flames appeared shortly thereafter, and his attempts at putting the fire out with an extinguisher were unsuccessful.

Water supply was a challenge for firefighters as the nearest hydrants were a great distance away from the fire. Crews laid a total of about 3000 feet of hose to reach the railroad car. With an attack line in tow, firefighters confronted high heat and heavy black smoke as they opened the door of the railroad car to begin fire attack. Initial knockdown was achieved at 2:03 p.m. There were no injuries.