The Huntsville /Lake of Bays Fire Department is trying to determine what caused a blaze that halted CN Rail traffic for hours.
Around 9:00 p.m. on Friday May 9th, crews from Station 1 Huntsville responded to a reported grass fire near the train tracks in the area of Avery Beach on Yonge St. N in Huntsville. 11 firefighters and 4 trucks were on scene.
Firefighters discovered a pile of decommissioned wood railway ties engulfed in flames. The fire was adjacent multiple rail cars that were carrying materials that are non-combustible and are not hazardous materials. CN Rail was contacted immediately and stopped trains from approaching the area.
Fire crews used water from a nearby fire hydrant to knock the fire down and suppress it until heavy machinery arrived to separate the pile at which point the fire could be extinguished. The fire did not damage any of the rail cars and did not affect any structures. No injuries have been reported. The fire resulted in the railway being shut down for multiple hours until the fire could be extinguished.
No cause of the fire has been determined. If you have any information on how the fire started contact the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Fire Department at 705-789-5201.
