Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
First responders attend to Engine 5039 at the 8th Street crossing on the south edge of New Rockford on Monday morning. The flames were contained to the interior of the engine.
Early Monday morning, Jan. 31, the New Rockford Fire Department was dispatched to the 8th Street South railroad crossing to intercept a BNSF train locomotive that had caught fire.
According to a press release from New Rockford Fire Chief Todd Allmaras, the train was approximately 15 miles southeast of New Rockford when the report first arrived. With no hazardous or flammable freight on board, and due to "challenging rural travel conditions," the train engineer decided to meet the fire department in New Rockford.
The press release further explained that the blaze appeared to be caused by a mechanical failure within the train's engine compartment, which was then controlled and extinguished using carbon dioxide fire extinguishers.
No injuries were reported as a result of the incident, and the damage was contained within the locomotive's engine compartment. The press release added that water was not utilized to extinguish the blaze, and that "there was no noted environmental impact or impact to property other than the BNSF locomotive."
The New Rockford Fire Department responded with five units and 12 firefighters, and received assistance from the Community Ambulance Service of New Rockford, Eddy County Sheriff's Department, City of New Rockford Public Works Department, and Emergency Manager Lisa Thompson.
