UPTOWN NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — Normal Firefighters say cargo debris caught fire Sunday morning after a freight train derailed Saturday near Hester Avenue in Normal.
Matt Swaney from the Normal Fire Department said it halted the clean-up of 16 freight cars that flipped from the derailment.
“When they were pulling the cars apart to take them off the rails and get the rails ready to put back in service and clean up from the derailment yesterday, something ignited,” Swaney said. “We’re not sure what that was yet, we’re going to be digging into that later, literally.”
Workers using cranes to clear the debris switched gears to help the firefighters.
“You can see the high hoe, the in-loader, pulling apart the pile of debris,” Swaney said. “That’s just so we can get the water down into the fire, the seat of the fire, and make sure it’s completely out before we call it done.”
Swaney said no one was hurt and no hazardous materials were released.
“One of the cars was hauling grocery items, and the other was hauling paint cans,” Swaney said. “Thankfully they were empty paint cans.”
The cargo fire also damaged the side of a nearby apartment building on Hester Avenue. Keith Harris said saw the fire from his apartment window.
“‘Wow, what is that noise?’ Harris said. “I look outside and my roommate was like ‘Keith we gotta go we gotta go!’ and I’m like ‘where?’ And then I look to front, it looks like a snowstorm. But when I got closer I seen the fire. It’s been like that for what, two hours now? Well actually, since this morning, but they’ve been working on it for 2 hours and it just won’t stop.”
He said his home is intact.
“I was more so worried about the cars that’s in the parking lot because if the fire gets too far and those catch on fire, then that could cause something way further,” Harris said.
The tracks are still significantly damaged, but workers and trucks are ready to repair it once the area is clear.
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