Reports of sparks and smoke coming from a rail car east of Kitscoty just before 3 a.m. sent tones to Kitscoty Fire Department and County Fire Chief Kirk Hughes .
Two affected rail cars were detached from the main train and moved to a safe location near Highway 16 and Range Road 30, by the locomotive conductor. Firefighters located, exposed and extinguished smouldering seams inside the car.
Additional crews cooled nearby cars, checked for extension and worked to mitigate any environmental impact. Alberta Environment was notified as a precaution and attended the scene. No risk to the public was identified.
Due to the need for more water, Blackfoot Fire and Rescue was dispatched to provide tanker support.
Chief officers from Kitscoty Fire, including Deputy Chief Neil Zack, and the County of Vermilion River Fire Service worked alongside industry officials on scene and at an emergency command centre to co-ordinate response and ensure safety.
CN Rail sent an engineer to inspect the cars and confirm they were safe to return to operation.
Kitscoty Incident Commander Captain Layne Zack reported the scene clear at 10:58 a.m., and both the tracks and the adjacent range road were reopened.
In a statement, CN thanked local firefighters for their response.
“There was no threat to public safety,” said Michelle Hannan, Media Relations Advisor for CN. “Upon noticing the issue, our teams immediately reported the incident as outlined in our fire response plan, and local fire services were able to respond promptly.”
Editor’s note: The owner of BorderPulse.ca is a volunteer firefighter with Blackfoot Fire and Rescue and responded to this call.
Read more: Kitscoty Fire responding to transport rollover
