(The St. Louis Post-Dispatch posted the following article on its website on July 8.)
ST. LOUIS — A fire on a railroad car loaded with lumber shut down Interstate 44 for about an hour Monday night as firefighters worked to keep a nearby tanker car from igniting.
Deputy St. Louis Fire Chief Ralph Break said the fire started about 8:30 p.m. in a freight car on the track just north of Interstate 44 near Southwest Avenue. A tanker car loaded with butadiene was attached to the lumber car and in danger of catching fire.
Butadiene is a highly flammable chemical that is toxic if inhaled, Break said.
One group of firefighters put out the blaze on the lumber car while a second group kept the tanker car cool with a stream of water, Break said.
An inspection by railroad officials determined that the tank had not ruptured. No one was injured in the blaze.