Railroad locomotive at Illinois Railway Museum catches fire Monday morning

A railroad locomotive at the Illinois Railway Museum in Union caught fire Monday morning, causing minimal fire damage and no injuries, officials said.

Firefighters responded about 10:45 a.m. Monday to a report of a structure fire at the Illinois Railway Museum at 7000 Olson Road in Union, the Union Fire Protection District said in a news release. The fire was small and extinguished within 10 minutes, officials said.

The fire was reported to be coming from underneath a railroad locomotive inside a repair and storage facility, according to the release. Officials arrived and confirmed smoke was coming from the east side of the property.

After the fire was out, facility workers pulled the locomotive out and firefighters extinguished the remaining hotspots underneath, the fire district said. The fire did not extend to the structures or other locomotives.

It’s thought the fire was started after grease on the locomotive’s underframe ignited while being restored, according to the release. The fire was not ruled as suspicious.

The Union Fire Protection District was assisted at the scene by the Marengo Fire Protection District and the Woodstock Fire Protection District.

“We want to thank the railway museum volunteers for their swift actions to help guide our fire vehicles across their property and assisting us while on scene,” a district spokesman said in the release.