Train sparks may have started blazes
GLADSTONE — A train spewing sparks due to possible mechanical issues is believed to be the cause of eight spot fires along the railroad tracks in and surrounding town Tuesday, Gladstone Fire District Chief Joe Wanner said.
GLADSTONE — A train spewing sparks due to possible mechanical issues is believed to be the cause of eight spot fires along the railroad tracks in and surrounding town Tuesday, Gladstone Fire District Chief Joe Wanner said.
No one was injured and about 4 acres total burned in the fires, which started at about 5:30 p.m. They started about half a mile west of Gladstone and were intermittent along the tracks running about 2 miles east of town.
Fire danger was high Tuesday and the fires are a good reminder that this is a dangerous time of year, Wanner said, adding residents should call their local fire departments before burning anything outdoors.
He said the Gladstone Fire District responded to 16 fires last year and because little cover burned then, this year could be problematic.
“It’s like tissue paper,” Wanner said of the dry cover. “Put a match to it and it will burn just like that.”
The department was lucky the fires didn’t spread further, he said.
Gladstone, along with Taylor Fire Department firefighters, had the blazes extinguished in about an hour. Wanner says the crews responded well, extinguishing the blazes and navigating what was muddy terrain.
Guy Martin lives outside of town and helped lead volunteers through gates to get to the blazes and agrees, “They did a good job.”
Wanner said the railroad is investigating the incident.
Tags: news, gladstone, train, sparks, fire, local
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