WOOD RIVER - A fire in a locomotive on the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks just north of West Ferguson in Wood River in the afternoon on Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2025, and captured the attention of local emergency crews. The incident occurred when a fire broke out in the main DC power system of the train.
Wood River Fire Chief Wade Stahlhut confirmed that the fire was contained to the engine. Firefighter crews from Wood River, East Alton and Roxana responded to the scene, where they successfully isolated power through an emergency shutdown before firefighters approached the situation.
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“I am always proud of them,” Chief Stahlhut said regarding the firefighters' response. “They work extremely hard being prepared for a unique type of incident and knowing hazards mitigated before putting the fire out was huge.”
The incident took place on the old BP property near West Ferguson, and firefighters were able to extinguish the flames quickly.
As of now, the cause of the fire remains under investigation, and no injuries have been reported.
