A blaze tore through the BNSF terminal building, leaving behind millions of dollars in estimated damage to the structure and equipment housed inside the facility.
According to information released by the Alliance Fire Department on social media, firefighters were called to the BNSF Yard Office at approximately 12:20 p.m. on Sunday. There firefighters located the fire between the roof and a roof membrane where the roof met the exterior wall of the tower.
“The flames continued toward the southeast corner of the building, and was extinguished several hours later, even as the department had to respond to an EMS call, as well as a possible corn field fire in the southwestern part of the county that also included a response from Hemingford and the Bayard Fire Department,” said Alliance Fire Chief Troy Shoemaker.
Mutual aid during the fire at BNSF was provided by the Hemingford Volunteer Fire Department, and the fire was investigated by the State Fire Marshal from Ogallala.
“The overall potential damage caused by the fire and response was set at about $3 million, but structural damage to the roof comprised only about $100,000 of the damage, with the rest primarily water and smoke damage to the interior and contents. The fire originated near a drain on the roof, and with the damage to membrane and insulation, every drop of water poured onto the roof to fight the flames entered the interior,” Shoemaker said.
Along with damage to sheetrock, the State Fire Marshal estimated a possible $2 million in damage to the sensitive electronics located in the building. That number, however, would have to be finalized by BNSF.
No injuries to BNSF officials or firefighters were reported. Railroad officials were able to retrieve some equipment, and told Shoemaker some of the signal and switching equipment was not touched by the water. At about 5 p.m., firefighters were able to clear the scene.