Bend Fire & Rescue tackles train fire, no injuries reported

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Bend Fire & Rescue responded to a reported train fire on Tuesday, June 2nd around 3:15 p.m. just south of Baker Road near Deschutes River Woods. The fire originated in the lead locomotive's braking system and no injuries were reported, according to the agency.

Engineers traveling north on BNSF's line from Klamath Falls felt a jolt on the train before seeing smoke. They were able to quickly stop the train before entering town to prevent blocking traffic lanes and prevented a brush fire by coming to rest in an area where a fire break had been created by previous wildfire mitigation efforts. No cargo or other locomotives were threatened by the fire.

BNSF stopped all north and south traffic in the area until the damaged locomotive could be removed and the train could be moved to a central Bend staging yard. Cheyenne Road was closed for a time during the incident to allow firefighting hoses to be deployed to the locomotive.

This unique response highlighted the various aspects of firefighting that crews need to be prepared for. Locomotives create immense amounts of electricity to move the heavy trains and that same electricity makes fighting fires on them extremely dangerous.

The incident also highlighted a community effort in Deschutes River Woods led by the neighborhood association, Bend Fire & Rescue, the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office, and BNSF. A grant from the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office was awarded in 2024 to help reduce vegetation in and around the large subdivision.

Large areas of open land on both sides of the railroad tracks were mechanically mowed to remove overgrown brush. This created a fire break along the eastern edge of the neighborhood, which was done to prevent the spread of wildfire into or out of the neighborhood. The cleared area provided a safe working zone for firefighters and greatly reduced the risk that the fire in this train could have spread to the neighborhood.