The 89-year-old woman killed in a fatal fire in Lockland on Oct. 18 lived less than half a mile from the village fire station.
Firefighters could have been there in less than a minute to rescue her if a Norfolk Southern train was not blocking the way, according to Fire Chief Doug Wehmeyer.
Instead, firetrucks were forced to take a circuitous route that took close to 7 minutes.
"It's not like this happens every once in a while," Wehmeyer told The Enquirer.
In fact, Lockland streets are frequently blocked by stopped trains, federal data shows. That included the morning of Oct. 19, when an Enquirer photographer was stalled en route to the fire victim's home.
Lockland Mayor Mark Mason said the central Hamilton County community of 3,500 has been fighting
the issue for years.
"When the federal government finally decides human life is more important than corporate greed, then maybe we'll see restrictions put in place to prohibit continuous train stoppages," Mason said.
Trains delay firetrucks by up to 7 minutes, fire chief says
Marian H. Haefner, 89, died in the Oct. 18 house fire, the Hamilton County Coroner's Office confirmed.
Haefner lived in a home in the 400 block of Patterson Avenue for about 20 years, Wehmeyer said.
A passerby reported the fire with a 911 call at about 9:30 a.m.
Lockland and Reading fire trucks reported to the scene. Both encountered burn holes in the floor when they arrived.
They took 6 1/2 to 7 minutes to arrive, Weymeyer said, delayed by a Norfolk Southern train stopped on the north-south tracks that cut through Lockland.
"Absent the train, Lockland would have arrived in 30 seconds," Wehmeyer said.
Railroad response 'cold, shallow,' mayor says
In a statement to The Enquirer, Norfolk Southern said it was looking into the incident and communicating with Lockland officials.
"We recognize residents' concerns, particularly regarding access for emergency responders," the statement said.
The railway "makes every effort to avoid affecting communities with stopped trains," it said.
Mason called the railroad's response "cold, shallow and simply a bold-faced lie!"
"NS does not make every effort to avoid affecting communities with a stopped train," he said via email.
Wehmeyer said he and the mayor give their Norfolk Southern representative a "tongue lashing ... every time we talk to him."
He said he assumes the representative is sharing their concerns with upper management, but they never hear back with solutions. "Clearly, that's falling on deaf ears."
Lockland No. 2 for stopped trains in last year
In the last 12 months, the Federal Railroad Administration has received 48 reports of stopped trains on tracks in Lockland. That was the second-highest number of 576 reports from Hamilton County, with Sharonville at No. 1 with 268.
Pedestrians climb over and through train cars and first responders are held up, reports about Lockland said.
"This is a daily occurrence at this site," one report said.
Some trains sit for 24 hours or more, the reports show.
One person reported missing a doctor's appointment because of a stopped train. Another said his business was impacted by "these inconsiderate f-----!"
Another charged the railroad with degrading "commerce, community reputation and public safety."
Lockland's fire chief blames federal lawmakers for striking down state laws that prohibit trains from blocking Lockland's streets.
The engines of some trains even sit empty, he said, when drivers "time out" on a shift with another driver yet to arrive.
"They literally park a train and leave. There's nobody with that train. These are trains carrying hazardous materials."
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: After fatal fire, Lockland officials assail trains that block streets
