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London city hall billed nearly $22,000 to CPKC to recoup firefighting costs stemming from a dramatic train fire near the downtown core earlier this year, a new report by city staff says.
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City hall submitted two invoices to the train company totaling $21,912.96 to cover various costs related to the April 21 fire that engulfed five train cars near Pall Mall and Waterloo streets, a report to council’s community and protective services committee said.
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One invoice covered the use of fire-extinguishing foam by London firefighters. The other covered the cost of the fire department’s response to the large blaze, the report said.
Both invoices have been paid in full, the report by city staff said.
A massive nighttime fire engulfed five CPKC freight train cars north of the core in April, causing approximately $35,000 damage. Fire crews responded to the blaze at approximately 11 p.m. after multiple residents called 911 to report an eastbound Canadian Pacific Kansas City train on fire.
London fire crews intercepted the moving locomotive near Waterloo and Pall Mall streets. More than two dozen firefighters used water and foam to douse the flames. The train crew disconnected the burning cars, which were carrying wooden rail ties, from the rest of the train.
No injuries or significant damage to property were reported in the April incident.
Transportation Safety Board of Canada officials said weeks later that sparks from the locomotive exhaust likely ignited the fire.
City hall staff, London fire officials and others, including CPKC, conducted a debrief about the April 21 incident on May 13, the city hall staff report said.
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The goal of the meeting was to discuss the emergency response to the fire and evaluate if there were any lessons that could be learned from the incident.
While fire crews used social media to alert the public about the massive fire, Alert London, a public notification system that Londoners can sign up for, could have been used to tell nearby residents to shelter in place, the staff report said.
The staff report also said London’s mayor and council should have been notified about the train fire immediately, but were not.
The report to the committee recommends alterations to how information from platoon chiefs arriving on the scene of a significant event moves to city hall staff and council.
Council’s community and protective services committee will receive the report at its meeting on Monday.
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