A railroad-adjacent fire of indeterminate origin has been reported in the 1900 block of N. Wenatchee Ave.

As of 3:30 p.m. Monday, information was still scarce.

"What's it looking like is - under the tracks, a railroad culvert with a bunch of railroad ties on fire," says Wenatchee Valley Fire Chief Brian Brett. "The black smoke that's permeating the sky here can be seen as that creosote burning on the railroad tracks."

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"We had reports that a PUD power source might be in there, but we couldn't confirm or deny that. The PUD's working with us. Fortunately, it's winter; otherwise this would be giving us some ember cast."

How do crews grapple with railroad ties soaked in creosote?

"We can overwhelm it with water," Brett says. "Unfortunately, we don't have a water supply close by; this is being accessed off the Loop Trail, down the railroad tracks quite a ways.

"We have Class A wildland foam that we can inject into our water; that'll help us put it out. But first, we'll get it overwhelmed with some water, get it cooled and overhaul it with some foam." This process, Brett, is poised to be very "labor-intensive."

"We just want to make sure we limit the exposure of these commercial buildings. We got our ladder truck back here and will be monitoring the roofs to make sure nothing catches on fire."

So who, or what, is likely to blame?

"We could've had people inhabiting the space under here and that started a warming fire," Brett says. "That's something we'll be looking into."

This is a developing story.

11 Surprising Reasons Idaho Railroad Tracks are So Deadly

It doesn't matter if it's a picturesque stroll down the tracks between two sleepy towns or a newlywed photoshoot—it's never okay to set foot on Idaho railroad tracks. 

Gallery Credit: Ryan Antoinette Valenzuela