Inferno in Canada

Burning train passes railroad crossing

(Bild: kamaeraone)

Night owls witnessed an extraordinary sight in the Canadian province late on Sunday evening: a freight train on fire was heading towards the city of London - it also passed a level crossing. The burning vehicle finally came to a halt in a residential area. 

Eyewitnesses raised the alarm when they noticed the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway train on fire. Wooden railroad sleepers in five carriages had caught fire. 

The burning train drove past baffled waiting motorists.(Bild: kamaeraone)

Shortly before 11 p.m., the train finally came to a halt in a residential area. Train carriages carrying dangerous goods and hazardous materials were uncoupled from the burning carriages, explained fire chief Colin Shewell.

Cargo had ignited during the journey
The loaded railroad sleepers had been picked up outside London in the Strathroy area, explained Shewell. They then ignited on the line for unknown reasons. The train was eventually moved to a marshalling yard, where firefighters were able to extinguish the last pockets of embers.

"The Transportation Safety Board will review this incident and look into it in detail, take witness statements and review all the evidence, and ultimately we will find out what caused it and whether the rules were followed," rail expert Malcolm Cairns told the CBC.

Fire department assumes arson
"We will treat everything as arson until proven otherwise," said fire chief Shewell. "These were scrap railroad ties, so they really have no value. They were actually destined to be destroyed." The damage to the railroad cars is estimated at 25,000 US dollars (approx. 23,400 euros). An office building also sustained damage of around 10,000 dollars (approx. 9400 euros).