22 August 2007
No Penalty Expected in Rail Tie Fire
A stack of burned railway ties sits along a line near the
Current River on Thunder Bay's north side.
Thunder Bay Ontario - CP Rail will likely face no
penalties following a fire Monday evening that involved a huge pile of railway ties.
The ties were covered in tar and creosote, creating huge volumes of black smoke that hindered visibility in part of Thunder Bay's north
end. "If they pay taxes in the city, historically we don't charge them," acting fire chief John McCullough said Tuesday.
"You have to be able to prove something to do something," he said.
Although McCullough had not read the official report on the fire, he said there may have been speculation in the report on what caused
the blaze. "Without having read the report, my guess would be that we wouldn't (charge the railway for the costs of fighting the
fire)."
Platoon chief Dennis Elcheson said earlier that the fire most likely started from sparks from a passing train.
McCullough said firefighters are often called out to suppress grass fires near railway tracks but there is no proof they are started
by sparks from a train.
However, if there is a hazardous materials spill, the fire department will go after the railway to recover cleanup costs.
Calls to CP Rail officials Tuesday were not returned.
|
