(reusters: Jan 16, 2001)

FIRE!

Tuesday evening two train crews of the Bear Creek & South Jackson Railroad reported a burning smell. Not being one to mess around superitendent of trains, Charlie Comstock immediately stopped all operations. After all, safety comes first.

After a prolonged search the site of the burning was located. It appears that a tie between two rails just past the frog of a turnout in the Bear Creek yard was frying.

Said the maintanence of way supervisor "Darndest thing I ever saw. Looked like a case of that spontaneitiness combustion. Couldn't see no signs of how the fire got started. Jest lucky I guess that it went out all by itself".

Talk at the Bear Creek Grill, local gathering point was focused on the incident that evening with many suggestions advanced as to the cause of the fire. Gaston Aridelyte, chef at the grill and devotee of UFOs, claimed Martians had started the fire with their ray guns. The crowd was having a great time aksing him why the Martians would attack a single tie. Others claimed the source was with vandals. A lone trackworker said that it must have been electricity that started it. Asked where the power came from he suggested a lightning strike nearby. But there have been no thunderstorms nearby lately. Crews remain on the alert for further pyrotechnics.