Several homes, grain elevator were in danger in Tipp. Co. fire

TIPPECANOE COUNTY, Ind. (WLFI) - Several homes were in danger as a train sparked a series of fires over a five-mile stretch in Tippecanoe County.

More than 40 firefighters were called out to the area around Buck Creek about 3:30 p.m. Thursday.

Heavy smoke rolled through the area and was visible for miles.

Buck Creek Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Welborn said a train heading northeast out of Lafayette sparked several fires sporadically alongside a stretch of tracks from about County Road 600 East to Colburn.  It took about two hours until about 5:30 p.m. to get the various fires under control.
    
"We had heavy smoke throughout the area and we had smoke going across the roads where you couldn't even see the roads," Welborn said.

Welborn said the conditions were extremely dry and getting access to fight the spotty fires wasn't easy because the fires were alongside railroad tracks.

"We were real fortunate especially in the Buck Creek area, because we had a couple houses on the south side of Buck Creek but on the north side of the tracks, that got very close," Welborn said.  "Then you got the elevator and feed that it got near there in Buck Creek so we're very fortunate."

Eight different professional and volunteer fire departments were called out to help along with several independent contractors, Emergency Management and the Department of Natural Resources.