WOODHAVEN, Mich. (WXYZ) — A six-car train derailment in Woodhaven sparked a massive brush fire, leaving city officials completely unaware of the incident until flames engulfed the area.
Watch Carli Petrus's video report:
The derailment occurred near Van Horn Rd and Ford Ln on September 14, but Woodhaven Fire Chief Brad Myles said the first 911 call came in around 12:30 p.m. — not for a train derailment, but for a grass fire.
"And it wasn't long until we saw what looked like, to us, as a derailed train which the city of Woodhaven knew nothing about," Myles said.
The fire chief believes the blaze started when railroad crews attempted to clean up the derailment site. The dry summer conditions made the area particularly vulnerable to sparks.
"We've had a pretty dry summer, and they obviously sparked. We're out here about two to three acres, and they sparked some of the dry conditions and started the fire off. It just takes a little bit to start a pretty good fire," Myles said.
Residents living near the tracks expressed frustration about being kept in the dark about the incident.
WEB EXTRA: Viewer video shows the Woodhaven train derailment
Deborah Jevahirian, who lives about a half mile from the tracks, said she had no idea a train derailment had occurred until I told her.
"I'm curious of what caused it, and can it happen again?" Jevahirian said.
Myles, who has 29 years of experience in Woodhaven, called this the first derailment he's witnessed in the city. However, he recalled a close call about three years ago when an engine appeared it could potentially derail — an incident the city was also not notified about.
"It can really be a little bit of a panic within our community," Myles said.
The fire chief has reached out to CN Railway, requesting better communication protocols for future incidents.
"That's a good question, and I've reached out to the railroad to try to get that answer and really for them to actually notify us in the future in the event of some type of derailment or something like that, so we can really pass that information on to our citizens," Myles said.
We contacted CN Railway for comment on why the city wasn't notified before the fire, how the derailment occurred, and when cleanup would be completed.
The company responded Thursday evening with the following statement from spokesperson Ashley Michnowski:
On September 14, 2025, CN crews responded to a derailment in its Flat Rock Yard, in Michigan, near the community of Woodhaven. There were no reports of injuries, leaks, dangerous goods or fires and no crossings were blocked as a result of the derailment. Local emergency services were notified of the derailment by CN Police Services. The cause of the incident is under investigation.
Following the derailment, a small brush fire occurred as a result of the activity by third-party contractors. CN is conducting a review of the incident to ensure that all procedures were properly followed.
While no one was injured and there are currently no safety concerns, Myles hopes for improved communication with CN Railway moving forward.
"So that we can, in turn, let our residents know exactly what's going on," Myles said.
—————————————————————
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
