While the Kennewick Fire Department said the three fires sparked Saturday along Kennewick railways were likely caused by a passing train, BNSF wrote, “there was no evidence pointing to a train as the cause.” Rylee Fitzgerald reports. Read the whole story here: https://www.applevalleynewsnow.com/news/bnsf-says-no-evidence-train-caused-railway-fires-in-kennewick-saturday/article_ce0f6546-430b-11ef-aaa9-a7999b6deb9f.html
KENNEWICK, Wash. — From a house fire to several wildfires, KFD was kept busy all weekend. Sparks caused three wildfires all along Kennewick railways on Saturday. As fire crews worked on one, another sparked, and then another.
Kennewick Fire Chief Chad Michael said there were three different starts. One was around the 3,000-block on Canal Dr. The second was off of Arthur St. and Canal Dr. The third sparked off of Deschutes Ave. The first two were around two acres, and the last was between one-half to one acre in size.
The fire was threatening homes, according to a press release, but no evacuations were called. With low winds on Saturday, Chief Michael said the crews made quick work of the fires.
Because these three fires started near railways, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad responded, along with the fire and police crews. Chief Michael said the BNSF crew was out quickly, and was able to inspect the tracks after stopping the nearby train.
“The railroad was really great about sending people out quickly. Met with us and then we were able to talk with them about what we had. They were able to go through and inspect the tracks, make sure that they're safe for trains to continue on and then they do an inspection on the train just to make sure that it's not going to start any more fires,” said Chief Michael.
As these three fires started around the same time, all along Kennewick railways, the fire is being investigated as potentially starting from a passing train, something Chief Michael said they have seen in the past.
“ We haven't definitively been able to say that, but that's what, that's what it looks like at this point, that we're kind of leaning towards that it was likely the train,” said Chief Michael.
However, that’s not what BNSF reports.
“Trains stop when fires are reported near our right-of-way, as was the case with this fire in Washington from over the weekend. A crew then performs an inspection. Though the cause is still under investigation, there was no evidence pointing to a train as the cause of the fire you are referring to,” wrote Kendall Sloan, BNSF Director of External Communications, in an email regarding the three wildfires.
Sloan also included:
“We are committed to reducing the risk of fires around our tracks and equipment. We conduct thorough risk assessments that consider factors such as vegetation type, rainfall, relative humidity, temperature, wind speed/direction, time-of-day of work activities, and type and extent of work activities. In addition to thorough risk assessments, we perform on a regular basis, we also have tank cars full of water pre-staged in areas prone to fire conditions. In Washington, we have two specially equipped firefighting trains, including one that was built specifically to serve the southwestern part of the state. BNSF works closely with local fire agencies and during fire season. These trains not only help fight fires, regardless of the cause, but also transport firefighters into remote areas and serve as a mobile command center for first responders.”
Right now, these fires are still under investigation, and there were no injuries.
The Kennewick Fire Department advises that it’s the time of year to be extra safe, because the vegetation in our area is extremely dry. Fire danger in the region is categorized as “very high.”
HERMISTON, Ore. -- More than 30 volunteers from Amazon Web Services, Umatilla County Fair and the Arbor Day Foundation assisted the City of Hermiston to plant 40 trees at the Eastern Oregon Trade & Event Center.
KENNEWICK, Wash. - 2 a.m. - Zachary Cain with the Kennewick Police Department tells us five houses to the east of the house that caught fire were evacuated. He also says a few houses west of the house were also evacuated, however, as of 2 a.m., everyone is back in their homes except for the home that caught fire.
LA GRANDE, Ore. - A project born out of a collaboration between students from Eastern Oregon University, the Rural Engagement & Vitality Center, Euvalcree and Morrow County is being awarded the Most Outstanding Project in a Small Jurisdiction: Achievement in Community Engagement (ACE) Award.
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.
Most Popular
Comments / 0