'I couldn't believe it': Freight train on fire rolls through downtown London, Ont.
The investigation into how a train moving through the City of London caught fire has been turned over to the CP Rail police.
“Everything is considered arson or suspicious until proven otherwise,” said London Platoon Chief Colin Shewell.
CTV News reached out to CP Rail and was told through a written response, "The incident remains under investigation. We thank the London first responders for their effective response to the fire last night."
Just before 11 p.m. on Sunday, London fire received multiple 911 calls about an eastbound train on fire, crossing over Oxford Street.
"We saw a train engulfed in flames, and flames spitting out of the top of the train cars and it was quite shocking to look at,” said Madison McArthur, who lives near the train tracks at Waterloo Street and Pall Mall Street.
The train was able to come to a stop in the area of Waterloo Street and Pall Mall Street where first responders took about an hour to get the fire under control.
"I was coming down Oxford street heading into downtown — I [saw] the train going across the bridge there, totally engulfed in flames. I couldn’t believe it,” said Tyler McNeill, who first saw the train on fire over the bridge at Oxford Street and Wharncliffe Road.
According to Shewell, train crews were able to disconnect the cars that were on fire that were in close proximity to a hazmat car.
They were also able to take another hazmat car into the train yard and return to the scene to give fire crews details on that cars that were burning.
Shewell said those cars were carrying old wooden railway ties.
Damage to the railcars is estimated at $25,000 and $10,000 to a Drewlo Holding building.
— With files from CTV News London's Reta Ismail
London fire responded to a moving train on fire in downtown London on April 21, 2024. (Source: Chad Lewis)First responders on scene in downtown London after a moving train caught fire on April 21, 2024. (Source: Joseph O'Neil/Facebook)A train caught fire while moving through downtown London April 21, 2024. (Source: Mikhail Ivanov)Train cars on fire as a train moves through downtown London on April 21, 2024. (Source: Submitted)Crews work to keep a fire out on five train cars that caught fire as it moved through downtown London on April 21, 2024. (Source: London fire)
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What weather experts say to expect this summer in Canada
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Israel sends tanks into Rafah on raids amid Gaza-wide offensive
Israeli tanks mounted raids across Rafah in defiance of the World Court for a second day on Wednesday, after Washington said the assault did not amount to a major ground operation in the southern Gazan city that U.S. officials have warned Israel to avoid.
Tessa Virtue reveals she's expecting her first child. Here's what Canadians had to say
Canadian figure-skating icon Tessa Virtue is expecting her first child, she revealed via social media Tuesday.
Five more Ontario school boards join lawsuit against social media platforms
Five additional Ontario school boards and two independent private schools have joined a lawsuit against the owners of multiple social media platforms, including Snapchat, TikTok, and Facebook.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
In bizarre provocation, North Korea flies trash, manure balloons over the South
North Korea flew hundreds of balloons carrying trash and manure toward South Korea in one of its most bizarre provocations against its rival in years, prompting the South’s military to mobilize chemical and explosive response teams to recover objects and debris in different parts of the country.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.