PARADISE – With the fire danger in Sanders County raised to very high after several days of hot and dry weather, a small rail fire broke out in Paradise around 3 p.m. on Wednesday.

Occurring on the tracks on the Paradise side of the bridge over the Clark Fork River, the fire was quickly extinguished by railroad crews on scene.

According to Lieutenant Larry Nielson of the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire Department a rail grinder was smoothing the railroad tracks, when a spark from the maintenance vehicle caught on the railroad ties.

Rail grinders are commonly used to restore railroad tracks worn down over time in order to ensure a safe and smooth ride for passing trains.

The fire was put out shortly before Rural Fire, DNRC and a crew from the United States Forest Service arrived on scene.

The small fire was extinguished before it was able to spread beyond the railroad ties.

“The rail grinder went by squirting water on the flames, while another worker hit the remaining spots,” Nielson said.

Nielson added the railroad workers on site were surprised the fire had been called in due to its limited scale and short duration.

However, the presences of a construction roadblock, due to the repaving of the Montana Highway 200 bridge in Paradise, created a temporary traffic backlog near the fire.

Nielson believes one of the motorists likely called in to report the smoke.

With a few more days of uncomfortably warm weather predicted by the National Weather Service for the Plains and Paradise area, it is unlikely the fire danger will lessen in the immediate future.