Engine failure suspected cause of train fire that prompted brief evacuation order in Bellefontaine

BELLEFONTAINE — A train fire that caused brief evacuations in Bellefontaine late Friday night was believed to be caused by an engine failure.

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News Center 7 previously reported that crews were called out just before 10 p.m. to a CSX train fire near Elm Street in Bellefontaine.

>> PHOTOS: Crews respond after CSX train catches fire in Bellefontaine

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According to Bellefontane Fire Department Assistant Fire Chief Nate Alexander, these locomotives carry about 3-4,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

“Under an abundance of caution, that’s when we called in hazmat because we weren’t sure what fluid was leaking upon first arrival,” Alexander said.

Upon arrival, an evacuation order was issued for everyone in a 2-block radius.

“We were concerned for the citizens as well, so they did initially evacuate a 2-block area,” Alexander said.

After responding crews were able to determine that diesel was not spilling, they cancelled the evacuation order after about 30 minutes.

“As soon as we got in there and saw that there was nothing toxic burning, we had residents asking right away how long they were going to have to be out of their house, so as soon as we confirmed that, we cancelled the evacuation order,” Alexander said.

Crews determined that coolant was leaking from the locomotive, but most of it was contained by hazmat crews on scene.

EPA was contacted to ensure that water safety wouldn’t be affected, according to Alexander. EPA crews will come back Saturday to ensure that the coolant did not leak into the water.

CSX brought another locomotive to haul the damaged locomotive. The cause of the fire was determined to be engine failure, according to officials on scene.

“The fire resulted from engine failure on that initial locomotive. So when they called it in, they had six, seven-foot flames,” Alexander said. “By the time we got here, it had diminished a little bit, and we were able to knock it down.”

No injuries were reported. The train’s conductor was able to stop the train and get out once they realized what was happening, according to Alexander.

People have since been able to return to their homes, and the train has been removed from the tracks, according to News Center 7 crews on scene.

We will continue to follow this story.

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