Safety board investigating grass fire sparked by train

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has sent an investigator to Calgary after a grass fire was sparked by a passing CN train over the weekend.

The incident occurred Saturday, according to a news release.

Calgary Fire Department spokeswoman Carol Henke said crews responded around 1:40 a.m. on July 17 to reports of a grass fire along the railway tracks in the southeast community of Erin Woods, shortly after a train had passed through.

Ten fire department apparatus, including two bush buggies, were required to fight multiple fires. Crews used water and foam on burning vegetation, and used a thermal imaging camera to search for hot spots that might flare up again.

Henke said no damage was done to any nearby structures, and the fire department is continuing to investigate.

CN Rail spokesman Matieu Gaudreault said the railway company is aware of the incident and is collaborating with the TSB.

“Upon noticing the issue, the crew of the locomotive reported the incident to the railway traffic controller (RTC) and retired the locomotive from service for inspection,” Gaudreault wrote in an emailed statement.

“The locomotive will undergo thorough inspection before being put back in service. Safety is a core value at CN and we will, of course, fully collaborate with the TSB.”

The TSB is an independent agency that investigates air, marine, pipeline and rail incidents, but does not assign fault or determine liability.

The TSB is also investigating whether a train sparked the fire in Lytton, B.C., that devastated the village and killed two people earlier this month.