Near Louviers, Douglas Counties, CO - Intense blue flames and acrid smoke greeted South Metro firefighters last Thursday night when they responded to a fire at the "Big Lift" rail facility near the intersection of Highway 85 and Titan Road.
A derelict tanker car that was being cut up for scrap metal still contained a large amount of sulfur and the cutting torches ignited the material, according to Andy Lyon, public information officer with South Metro.
Firefighters at South Metro's station on Chatfield Drive first noticed and investigated the smoke around 2 p.m. on Thursday but found no fire other than that produced by the cutting torches.
Firefighters returned just before 6 p.m. after a worker at the site reported a fire on the ground near the railcar. "They attempted to put the fire out with water but the sulfur kept re-igniting," said Lyon.
"Because of the acrid smoke, crews withdrew from the area and requested the hazardous materials response team," he added. They also requested evacuation of a small area around the blaze because sulfur is an eye and skin irritant and can be hazardous with prolonged or concentrated exposure, especially to people with respiratory conditions.
"The area is mostly industrial and we do not believe any homeowners did evacuate, but we advised them to keep their houses closed and not to expose themselves to the smoke."
Only minor symptoms such as sore throats and irritated eyes were reported during the incident and no one was transported for treatment.
As the fire burned the sulfur, which had been a solid, melted and liquefied, creating a burning pool of as much as ten thousand gallons in the remains of the tanker.
After consultation with railroad officials it was decided to use sand to smother the fire.
Douglas County public works employees brought in the sand and a front-end loader and they successfully smothered the fire in the tanker just before 1 a.m. Friday morning.
Firefighters used water and special firefighting foam to extinguish the fire on the ground around the car.
The railroad will work with the Environmental Protection Agency and the fire department to develop a plan to clean up the remaining sulfur.
The workers cutting up the rail car were contractors, not employees of the railroad nor of the company that operates "big lift" and it is still not known why the tank car was being scrapped when hazardous materials were still inside.
Approximately 15 South Metro firefighters worked on the incident.
Firefighters from Littleton and West Metro also responded.
