A fire that started at a railroad tie yard near Hazen, east of Fernley has been extinguished.
Omaha Track experienced a fire at their facility in Hazen, shortly after 4 p.m. (PDT) September 8, 2022.
Multiple fire departments responded to the scene including The Fallon & Churchill Volunteer Fire Department to initially contain the fire, with the assistance of Omaha Track employees.
Sustained high temperatures and strong winds from a fast-moving storm made it unsafe for crews to continue with that process, so efforts were re-focused to containment within the railyard.
No injuries have been recorded and no property damage occurred other than railroad ties.
Residents of the town of Hazen were evacuated on Wednesday night, as a precaution, due to a fuel pipeline in the area.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but evidence points to a likelihood of a natural occurrence combined with extreme temperatures and high winds.
Officials with Churchill County say the property is a place where they sort railroad ties the fire appears to have started near the center of the yard, but winds fueled the flames and it spread to the entire property.
Fire crews, at this point, backed off, what they're doing now is making sure the fire doesn't jump the boundary lines surrounding the yard and spread to the wildland beyond.
“Railroads ties are full of creosote that is a flammable material that creates a significant burn which creates concerns over air quality we've been in contact with the NWS they've done smoke plume modeling so we're actually tracking that smoke plume,” says Churchill County Manager Jim Barbee.
