Railroad Cars Catch Fire Downtown in Tennessee

June 11, 2014
Railroad cars carrying cardboard and paper products burned in downtown Midtown and threatened several other cars containing ethanol residue.

June 11--A Midtown train fire had several streets blocked off in the Central Gardens neighborhood Wednesday morning.

Firefighters and hazardous materials crews responded to a three-car train fire at 5:20 a.m. at Barksdale and York and McLean and York.

The fires started in the interior of the cars, which contained paper products such as cardboard, said Memphis Fire Department spokesman Lt. Wayne Cooke. Firefighters had to cool several nearby railroad cars that contained ethanol residue. However, those cars were not directly next to any of the burning cars.

The fires were brought under control around 6:15 a.m. The still smoldering train is being moved to the Rozelle rail yard belonging to Union Pacific.

Smoke lingers in the Central Gardens neighborhood, but does not present a hazard, Cooke said.

Fire investigators are still determining the cause of the fires, but they are deemed suspicious, Cooke said.

Copyright 2014 - The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.

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