One person was taken to hospital after they were struck by a train in Langley City Thursday night, while earlier that day emergency crews responded to a train fire in the Township.
City of Langley firefighters were called to Fraser Highway and Production Way around 11 p.m. after a train collided with a pedestrian.
“There was an individual who was struck on the track by a train heading south, and it had dragged them down the track for some time,” explained Scott Kennedy, deputy fire chief with the City of Langley.
Crews received assistance from Surrey firefighters, who also responded to the scene.
It took about an hour to locate the injured person, Kennedy said. They were located a distance from where they were struck that was challenging for first responders to access and remove the patient.
It was just after midnight, Kennedy recalled, when the person was transported to hospital. Details of their condition are not known.
Kennedy could not confirm if the individual was struck at a rail crossing or if they were struck further up or down the track. Kennedy said he has no reason to believe the rail safety equipment at crossings were malfunctioning.
“As far as I know everything was in working order,” he told the Langley Advance Times.
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Although the tracks belong to CP Rail, it is unclear if the train involved in the incident was a CP or CN train. Both companies run trains on the track.
Meanwhile, earlier that same day around 1:45 p.m. Township firefighters were called Springbrook Road and Glover Road for a train fire, according to Russ Jenkins, deputy fire chief with the Township.
The incident involved a CP train travelling northbound in the area, which was forced to stop after a small fire in the locomotive.
About three fire vehicles responded to the scene, Jenkins said, adding there were no injuries as a result of the incident.
Personnel with CP Rail also responded to the incident to investigate.
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