When a fire engine or ambulance is en route to a call, just a few minutes, or even seconds, can be the difference between life and death.
That’s why, several months ago, when cargo trains began blocking intersections in Spartanburg more frequently and for longer periods of time, Spartanburg Fire Chief Marion Blackwell took note.
Blackwell said he first reached out in October to Norfolk Southern Railway, which operates the trains and crossings, when trains began regularly blocking crossings at Magnolia, Church and Arch streets, often all at once and for hours at a time. Blackwell said that on several occasions, the trains have delayed response times, though no one has seriously been harmed yet as a result.