Firefighters Ron Burchill (left) and Richard Hass douse flames near the rail line Sunday, just south of exit 294 on the north side of Interstate 94.(Photo credits/Steve Collins)

By Steve Browne
Valley City Times-Record

    Valley City volunteer fire fighters spent Friday and Sunday afternoon and evening fighting fires set by a Canadian Pacific Railroad engine.
    Valley City Fire Chief Gary Retterath said the fires were caused by hot embers from the smokestack of one Canadian Pacific engine.
    Firemen were called out at 10:57 a.m. Friday to a field southeast of Valley City along the Canadian Pacific tracks to battle a grass  fire and blazing piles of railroad ties by the tracks. Thirteen volunteer firefighters worked until 4:30 p.m. putting out fires along the railroad tracks.
    As the firemen were returning to the station, a report of another fire west of Maryville on River Road came in. The fire fighters responded and found that the CP engine crew had stopped and put out most of the fire with on board fire extinguishers, leaving them to hose down the area and keep the fire from spreading.    Sunday,Valley City firemen were called out again at 4:18 p.m. to the same area as the first fire. Fourteen firefighters fought the blaze until 10:30 p.m.
    Retterath said Canadian Pacific representatives told him, “We think we've found the engine that caused the problem.”