Major fire destroys passenger train, cause unclear – DW – 11/03/2024

An investigation was launched on Sunday after a passenger train was engulfed in a major fire while stationary overnight at a station on the outskirts of Berlin. Five passengers still on board had to leave the train, but were unharmed.

The fire brigade was initially unable to say where and why the fire started in the diesel train on Saturday evening.

What do we know about the fire?

Firefighters were called to Ahrensfelde station on the border between Berlin and Brandenburg after the alarm was raised at around 9:50 pm local time.

The three-car train was about to begin its next journey to the city of Werneuchen when the driver heard a bang.

Smoke appeared and flames were visible, prompting the driver and a female attendant to evacuate the train’s five passengers.

Firefighters extinguished the flames – which had now engulfed all three cars – and no one was injured, a spokesperson said. The train suffered extensive damage.

A spokeswoman for German train company Deutsche Bahn said the train was operated by private company Niederbarnimer Eisenbahn (NEB).

The NEB, which manages the RB25 line between Berlin-Ostkreuz and Werneuchen, initially made no comment.

The train station was closed between 10 p.m. and 12:30 a.m. for firefighting, before other tracks opened to resume train traffic.

The German Federal Police, which is responsible for the rail network, among other things, also said the cause of the fire was unknown and that the preliminary investigation had yielded no clues.

The Federal Bureau of Railway Accident Investigation will examine the train before it can be transported.

rc/msh (AFP, dpa)