Residents and businesses blame train for 416 Fire, file lawsuit

More than a half dozen Colorado residents and businesses have filed a lawsuit against a train, accusing it of starting a wildfire that scorched about 85 square miles of mostly federal land.

The Durango Herald reports the lawsuit, filed Friday against the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad, says the wildfire, sparked June 1 near Durango, was started by burning material emitted from a coal engine that travels from Durango to Silverton.

Railroad Owner, Chairman and CEO Al Harper says he cannot comment on the lawsuit because he hasn’t been served and there has been no official proclamation of the cause of the fire.

Plaintiffs say the company and Harper knew or should have known, of the drought conditions that existed at the time the fire started.