Schumer, Gillibrand, Lawler Seek Federal Probe Of Track Brushfires

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Mike Lawler called on the Federal Railroad Administration to investigate Friday's chain of brush fires along the CSX tracks in Rockland County.

The first reported fires were along the tracks in Stony Point and then erupted along the freight line from West Haverstraw to Congers. Witnesses said they saw sparks coming from underneath a southbound train. The Rockland County Sheriff’s Office said the fires were separate, varied in size and growth, and did not spread from a single ignition point. They burned for several hours across nearly 70 acres.

Damage to property from the fires included six homes plus sheds and fences. Five firefighters suffered heat exhaustion, with one sustaining a minor burn to their hand. Parts of Route 9W were closed through the weekend into Monday afternoon to deal with flare-ups, clear burnt utility poles and trees and clear fallen rocks; engineers from the state Transportation Department were called in to check the stability of its steep slopes.

"The terrifying brush fires that tore through Rockland County last week – which forced dozens of scared residents to evacuate their homes and businesses and caused thousands of dollars in damage – has set off safety alarm bells along the CSX tracks," said Schumer in a statement released Thursday. "CSX needs to be transparent, expedient and collaborative, and I won’t stop fighting to make sure this problem doesn’t go off the rails any further."

SEE: Cause, Communication, Compensation: Rockland's RR Track Brushfires

"As we have learned from recent events, we must be diligent about railway maintenance to stop tragedies that can be caused by faulty equipment and insufficient safety features," said Gillibrand, thanking everyone who worked to extinguish the brush fires. All of Rockland County’s 26 volunteer fire departments responded, plus firefighters from Orange and Westchester counties and Mahwah, New Jersey.

Lawler accused the railroad company of not reporting the incident.

"It is simply beyond comprehension that CSX would not report the brush fire that occurred in Rockland County to the proper authorities, especially when it put many Rockland County residents and businesses at risk," he said in the joint statement. "It is incumbent on CSX to fully collaborate with this investigation and be transparent - anything less would be completely unacceptable."

CSX provided a statement to Patch on Monday, saying the company immediately responded to the brush fires and halted train traffic through the area to allow for a safe response. "CSX teams were on scene within hours and began the process of proactively going door to door, meeting directly with the impacted residents and offering assistance. The CSX train that traveled through the area was inspected and no issues were found. While there has been no official determination as to the cause, CSX has been and will continue to work closely with local officials to provide support, and we are certainly willing to review any information provided to us."

Rockland County Executive Ed Day called it "miraculous" that the string of brush fires did not result in casualties, and also gave credit to emergency responders.

"I applaud and support Senator Charles Schumer, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congressman Mike Lawler for their stern letter urging and calling on the Federal Railroad Administration to investigate the matter with CSX," Day said. "We need to work together to ensure necessary steps are taken to prevent an emergency of this magnitude from ever happening again."

After hearing reports from local officials, the representatives said they were particularly concerned that the CSX train’s wheels ignited the brush and created circumstances that could have made the incident more dangerous, even lethal. In the letter to the FRA, they urged the agency to collaborate with the railroad and local officials immediately to conduct an investigation and take necessary action.

While the total cost of the damage is still being estimated, it is believed to be millions of dollars, they said.

SEE ALSO:

• Train Hits Truck At Grade Crossing In Haverstraw
• Rockland Town Notes 50th Anniversary Of Horrific Train-School Bus Crash