Train malfunctions, ignites fire along tracks in Indus

Emergency officials have successfully put out a blaze in Indus after an eastbound train malfunctioned.

Rockyview District Chief Dax Huba says the fire started between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Wednesday afternoon.

“A CP train travelling eastbound towards the town of Indus had a malfunction and started about a mile and a half to two miles of the brush alongside the tracks on fire,” Huba says.

Huba adds some hay bales and timbers stacked along the tracks also ignited.

“The fire started to encroach a house and a few really, really dry fields. So, the Balzac fire station and the Langdon fire station along with Strathmore rural came into the area and started doing a defensive fire attack and crews were able to get ahead of the fire.”

Huba adds, “and because of the wind and the dry conditions, it was kind of all hands on deck. We had to really move fast to prevent the fire from getting into high standing crops and really making a mess.”

There are no reports of injury.

Currently,there is no fire ban in place for the Rockyview region, but there is the potential for one to be imposed if dry conditions persist.

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