Train fire near Deschutes River Woods highlights value of defensible space
(UPDATE - 6/3/26: vegetation mitigation helped stop the spread of the fire)
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — A locomotive fire Tuesday afternoon near Deschutes River Woods could have sparked a much larger wildfire, but officials say years of vegetation mitigation work in the neighborhood helped keep the incident contained.
Bend Fire & Rescue responded around 3:15 p.m. Tuesday to reports of flames coming from the lead locomotive of a BNSF train just south of Baker Road, near the eastern edge of the Deschutes River Woods subdivision. Nine-one-one callers from Morningstar School and BNSF reported fire coming from the braking system housed on top of the locomotive.
Fire crews arrived to find smoke and flames on the locomotive. Fire extinguishers and water were used to extinguish the fire quickly. No injuries were reported, and no cargo or other locomotives were threatened.
The engineers on board were heading north on BNSF's line from Klamath Falls when they felt a jolt before seeing smoke. They stopped the train before entering town to prevent blocking traffic lanes and to avoid a brush fire taking off. The train came to rest in an area where a fire break had been created by previous wildfire mitigation efforts.
Deputy Fire Marshal Dan Derlacki said a 2024 grant allowed Deschutes River Woods and Bend Fire Department to mechanically mow vegetation in the area between Cheyenne Road and China Hat Road, near the railroad tracks.
"Keeps the vegetation low. So if it had spread, it would have been easy to put out. It also gave our firefighters a nice, safe spot to operate from in this locomotive fire," Derlacki said.
The cleared area provided a safe working zone for firefighters and reduced the risk that the train fire could spread to the neighborhood.
Derlacki emphasized that mitigation efforts are especially critical in Deschutes River Woods due to limited access. The large neighborhood has two main entry points on the north end and only one emergency exit over the railroad tracks near the High Desert Museum.
"Being able to mitigate the fire, be able to keep it small and maintain the safety of the neighborhood is crucial down here," he said.
BNSF stopped all north-south traffic in the area until the damaged locomotive could be removed and the train moved to a central Bend staging yard. Cheyenne Road was closed temporarily during the incident to allow firefighting hoses to be deployed to the locomotive.
The incident highlights a community effort led by the Deschutes River Woods neighborhood association, Bend Fire & Rescue, the Oregon State Fire Marshal's office and BNSF. The Oregon State Fire Marshal's office awarded a grant in 2024 to help reduce vegetation in and around the subdivision. Large areas of open land on both sides of the railroad tracks were mechanically mowed to remove overgrown brush and create a fire break along the eastern edge of the neighborhood.
"This is an example of where creating defensible space around your home and neighborhood can help protect your home from more than just wildfires," officials said.
Locomotives create immense amounts of electricity to move heavy trains, and that same electricity makes fighting fires on them extremely dangerous,_bulk crews noted.
Residents in the area have mixed feelings about the vegetation. While fire officials praise the mowed areas for safety, one neighbor who spoke off camera said the trees and brush serve as a sound barrier between neighbors and the train tracks.
Learn more about creating defensible space on your property at bendoregon.gov/own-your-zone.
Reported 9:42 AM on 6/3/26
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.
