Ohio Woman, 89, Dies in House Fire After Stopped Train Forces Fire Crews to Detour

An 89-year-old woman died in a house fire in the Village of Lockland, Ohio, after a stopped train forced firefighters to take a detour on their way to the scene, according to local officials.

The blaze happened on Sunday, the Hamilton County Coroner's Office and village fire officials said. The coroner's office identified the woman as Marian Haefner.

The village fire chief said it took crews nearly seven minutes to reach the home because a Norfolk Southern train was stopped on the tracks. Without the obstruction, he said, the trip would have taken about 30 seconds.

Radio traffic from the incident recorded the problem as it unfolded. "Engine 59, we're going to be delayed by a train. We're going to head down 75, come back up," a crew member said.

Lockland Mayor Mark Mason Sr. said the village has pressed the issue for years. "We've been complaining about this now for nine plus years and, unfortunately, now the ultimate sacrifice has been made because of it, a death of one of our residents, and it's unacceptable, and this is not going away until we get a response from the federal government," Mason said.

Video recorded Monday morning showed a train sitting on the tracks for what village officials said was more than two hours.

Doug Wehmeyer, who serves as both village administrator and fire chief, said the railroad does not tell the village when a train has stopped on the tracks. He suggested a simple fix: a call to dispatch. "Maybe the simple thing right now is simply the railroad making a phone call to dispatch to let us know. I don't think it's too much ask, but we have not been too successful in doing that," Wehmeyer said.

Local and state officials have previously tried to fine railroads when stopped trains block emergency responders, but federal law has overruled those efforts each time, according to the report.

Norfolk Southern said it is investigating and that it makes every effort to avoid affecting communities with a stopped train. A company spokesperson said it is working with the fire department and the village to find a resolution to the congestion in the area.

Mason said an apology would not be enough. "Don't tell me that you take serious and that you, by all means, do everything you can to keep from affecting communities by stopped trains. If you really meant that, you would do it," he said in response to the railroad's statement.