CP Rail fire

By Carlie Connolly

A CP Rail engine caught fire on Oct. 19, suffering severe damage. The train was reported by someone who saw the fire westbound heading towards Medicine Hat. Two fire departments, one out of Irvine and one out Medicine Hat were on the scene. They managed to stop the train somewhere between Dunmore and Irvine.

The train had a pusher engine on the back and it was the engine that was on fire. Dennis Mann, emergency services chief of Cypress County said that it looked like the engine malfunctioned, which may have caused the fire. The fire teams were able to contain it to the one particular unit.

“It looks like a total loss, and I have absolutely no idea what the value of an engine would be worth, lots I would imagine,” Mann said.

The fire occurred at 9:00 p.m. and all fire departments returned back around midnight. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.