Doon, Iowa — A centerbeam railcar loaded with vertical siding was destroyed in a fire on Wednesday, February 2, 2022, near Doon.
According to Doon Fire Chief Blake Van Bemmel, about 3:00 a.m., the Doon Fire Department was called to the report of a railcar on fire near 250th Street and the BNSF Railway track about two-thirds of a mile northwest of Doon.
The chief says the fire department saw the whole load of vertical siding was fully engulfed in flames as they approached the scene. He says the car in front of it contained butane. After making sure the butane tank was cooled it was disconnected and pulled ahead. Two loaders and an excavator were brought in to start unloading the wood bundles. The bundles were unloaded and hauled to a safe distance where some were extinguished and some were left to burn out, according to Van Bemmel, who says no injuries were reported.
He says the cause of the fire is undetermined.
Chief Van Bemmel reports that there not only was the siding destroyed, but the centerbeam flatcar is probably nearly totaled as well.
He says the firefighters who responded were there for several hours, going back into service about 9:00 a.m., some six hours after the initial call. According to the chief, temps hovering around zero made the work more difficult.
