SWAN LAKE — Dozens of firefighting apparatuses from over a dozen fire departments battled the flames of freight train cars whose cargo of wooden railroad crossties burned relentlessly Tuesday.
Thick plumes of black smoke billowed from four of the train’s hopper cars bearing the burning crossties. The affected cars were uncoupled from the remainder of the train at the site adjacent to Sharkey Road.
Sumner fireman Corey Gee, quoting firefighter Steve Brady, said small brush fires spreading six miles down the train track had crews scurrying to extinguish them.
Equipment and personnel from nine volunteer fire departments in Tallahatchie County were assisted by special units from Coahoma, Montgomery, Panola and Sunflower counties, some of which brought foam. Clarksdale Fire Department also sent a ladder truck to attack the fire from above.
This enlarged view of a photo shows a firefighter spraying crossties with water at a Canadian National Railway fire scene near Swan Lake Tuesday, June 6, 2023. (Photo by Robert Riley)
A small crane hoisted still flaming or smoldering crossties from the interiors of the train cars and piled them onto the ground for firefighters to attack more directly and at closer range.
The fire aboard the train, said to be operated by Canadian National Railway, was reported to the Tallahatchie County Sheriff’s Work Center in Sumner at 4:16 p.m. Tuesday, according to a dispatcher.
More than eight hours later, shortly before 1 a.m., the last firefighting units radioed that they were leaving the scene.
In a social media post late Tuesday night, Tallahatchie County Fire Coordinator Linnie Maples noted that he was “proud of Tallahatchie County firefighters and all departments” who battled the fire.
Local firefighters from Cascilla, Murphreesboro, Paynes, Philipp, Sharkey-Hampton Lake, Sumner, Teasdale, Tippo and Webb-Westside fire departments were involved in the firefighting effort, said Maples.
Maples said Thursday that he estimates more than 100,000 gallons of water and about 100 gallons of foam were used in combating the fire, the cause of which was not immediately known.
Multiple calls and emails to Canadian National Railway seeking comment went unanswered before press time.
