In the early afternoon of July 4, 2012, the Northbrook, IL, Fire Department received calls for a train derailment near the Glenview-Northbrook border. Glenview Engine 8 and Northbrook Tower 12 were the first units to arrive. A brushfire was burning along the road. Multiple coal cars were derailed and spilled coal from the overpass to the street below.
Salvage crews found two bodies in a car under the bridge 17 hours after the accident. A box alarm was struck for manpower for the excessive heat, but the companies were released. The derailment may have been caused by high heat. An investigation by the Federal Railroad Administration is expected to take months.
The railroad bridge at Shermer Road just south of Willow was rebuilt in November 2009 after a derailment at the site.
Harvey Eisner | Editor Emeritus
HARVEY EISNER was named Editor Emeritus of Firehouse® after serving 15 years as Firehouse's Editor-in-Chief. He joined the Tenafly, NJ, Fire Department in 1975 and served as chief of department for 12 years. He was a firefighter in the Stillwater, OK, Fire Department for three years while attending Oklahoma State University. Eisner was an honorary assistant chief of the FDNY and program director for the Firehouse Expo, Firehouse World and Firehouse Central conferences. He covered many major fires and disasters and interviewed numerous fire service leaders for Firehouse®
