Union Pacific engine catches fire, ignites range fire

Flames erupt from the Union Pacific locomotive that caught fire Nov. 9. The engine blaze was also believed responsible for starting a small brush blaze on the city's north side.

A Union Pacific railroad locomotive is believed responsible for triggering a small brush fire on the city's north side before the engine itself burned Nov. 9.

City firefighters received their first call around 11:45 that morning regarding a brush fire in the vicinity of the Bastida Auto Salvage and Repair shop, located on Sunset Strip on the city's north side.

As crews approached the scene, they saw a separate column of heavy black smoke further down the road, indicating the possibility of a second and larger brush fire, said Mark Moore from the Mountain Home Fire Department.

With Moore driving to the second fire, he noticed that a westbound freight train had stopped on the tracks. As he got closer, he realized that the lead engine was on fire about four miles west of Ditto Creek Road.

Arriving on scene, firefighters met with the conductor and engineer, who indicated that they tried to disconnect the engine from the rest of the train. After that attempt failed, the rail crew was able to shut down the fuel system and batteries that fed the diesel engine.

This helped contain the fire to the rear engine compartment of the diesel locomotive, Moore said.

Fire crews used two brush trucks to quickly contain the flames spewing from an exhaust vent on top of the engine, he added. Crews continued to douse the engine with water for another 20 minutes until the engine compartment had cooled enough to prevent the fuel from reigniting.

At the same time, a separate fire crew quickly extinguished the other brush fire along Sunset Strip.

The cause of the engine fire and extent of damage was not known as of press time.