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Train likely culprit in brush fire Fire violations worry residents, officials By WENDY SIPOREN ASHLAND -- A Central Oregon & Pacific train is the likely cause of Wednesday's small grass and brush fire along the railroad right-of-way where Old Highway 99 South loops over the railroad tracks. A well-organized neighborhood watch program was credited with reporting and containing the quarter-acre fire, which started just after noon. "They essentially stomped it out," said Fire District 5 engineer Alan Barnes. "They had it surrounded." Despite the fire's small size and lack of property damage, neighbors are angry and Oregon Department of Forestry officials disturbed about the apparent lack of attention by the train company toward fire prevention. A state inspection of the train after the incident found one fire safety violation on one of the train's engines -- a failure to clean a spark-arresting device. The same citation was issued against the company July 1 after a northbound train started a fire on Bailey Hill in California. The Oregon Department of Forestry regularly inspects the right-of-way, conducts random inspections of the trains and tells the company when conditions require them to start spraying the tracks with water. That requirement begins today -- one day too late for Tuesday's fire, said Medford Unit Forester Dan Thorpe. There were conflicting reports as to whether the water car was in use Tuesday. Since the mid-1970s when the state fire prevention program was initiated, fires caused by trains have been few and small, said Thorpe. There have been just eight small railroad fires in Jackson County since 1995, including a fire that burned the same location June 27, 1995. "There are far more power line fires than train fires," he said. But Thorpe reports that his department has had repeated problems in the past with Southern Oregon & Pacific failing to maintain train exhaust systems and for failing to clean the right-of-way. "I think they are trying to comply, but they need to treat it as a higher priority," said Thorpe. Fines for violations are small, he said. A first violation is usually just a warning, but Southern Oregon & Pacific was charged $57 for the July 1 violation and $77 for Tuesday's. The company is also billed for the cost of putting out the fire. That's not enough, said Steinman Road resident Molly Wilcox. She says it's cheaper for the company to pay the fines than to do what is right. "I'm angry," said Wilcox. "There's far more interest in the bottom line than in (the protection of) human and animal life and property." A representative of Central Oregon and Pacific Railway could not be reached for comment. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA