(The Associated Press distributed the following article on October 3.)
DOUGLAS, Wyo. — Firefighters are battling a rash of railroad-related fires, prompting concerns that their budget might be exhausted soon.
The Douglas Volunteer Fire Department recently asked the Converse County Commission to recoup costs associated with railroad fires.
Between Jan. 1, 2002, and late August 2003, the department had responded to 470 fires. Of those, 119, or 25 percent, were rail-related, department spokesman Mike James said.
Those calls tend to take up more resources and time, James said, and often are difficult to extinguish.
Piles of coal dust that catch fire next to the tracks are among the most numerous, the Douglas Budget reported.
Converse County Attorney Quentin Richardson asked the Fire Department for more information clarifying and defining the department’s authority.