A freight train with five burning railcars was stopped in downtown London Sunday night.
The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) train was travelling east through the city when the old wooden railway ties it was carrying caught fire around 10:50 p.m. Multiple 911 calls were made to emergency crews about the burning train before it was stopped on the tracks at Waterloo Street and Pall Mall.
Residents in the area were urged to stay inside and keep their windows closed while firefighters worked to extinguish the flames that sent thick black smoke into the air. Fire officials have said it took 28 firefighters and 10 apparatuses to douse the fire.
Around 1 a.m. the charred railcars were moved to the Adelaide Yard on Quebec Street.
Fortunately, there were no dangerous goods on the train and no one was hurt.
Damage is estimated at $25,000 to the railcars and $10,000 to the Drewlo Holding Building. Fire officials credit the CPR train engineer and conductor's quick actions in disconnecting the locomotives for limiting the amount of damage.
The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
"The incident remains under investigation," a Canadian Pacific Railway spokesperson said in a statement. "We thank the London first responders for their effective response to the fire."
