BUCYRUS — Black smoke billowed out from underneath a railcar hood as emergency crews responded to Bucyrus Railcar Repair on Tuesday morning.
The Bucyrus Fire Department responded to the rail yard on East Southern Avenue at approximately 9:45 a.m.
According to Bucyrus Railcar Repair Director of Operations John Frank, an employee was using an oxygen and acetylene-fueled cutting torch to remove a patch from a railcar hood when the torch caught a piece of insulation inside the hood on fire.
Frank said it is standard practice to have a second employee on fire watch when making cuts and the second employee spotted the flame and the employee making the cuts retreated from the scene.
The tanks connected to the cutting torch were removed from the area and 911 was called.
Frank said a piece of burning insulation fell on the cutting torch’s hose and burned it, but the tanks were shut off, so no further harm took place.
There were no injuries as a result of the incident.
Frank said the damage needs further evaluation, but the railcar appeared to be undamaged and he estimated the cost of installing new insulation to be approximately a few hundred dollars.
Operations at the rest of the rail yard’s facilities were not affected during the incident.
The hood that caught fire is used to cover steel coils being transported by train and are used to cut down on condensation collected inside the car.
Two fire engines with BFD responded to the scene.