Wildfires may have been sparked by steam train
David MartWildfires may have been caused by sparks coming off a passing steam train, fire crews say.
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service said it attended more than 40 blazes across the county over the weekend, with a number of fires near the railway line between St Bees and Nethertown.
The fire service's Andrew Lowes said crews managed to put out fires near train tracks on the west coast, which he thought were accidental, with no "malicious intent".
The cause of the fires was still being investigated, the service said. Network Rail said it was also investigating whether a passing steam train might have caused some of the fires.
Mr Lowes told BBC Radio Cumbria "pretty much the whole fire service" was out dealing with wildfires across the county over the weekend.
Hundreds of firefighters worked "from dusk until dawn", he said.
"Unfortunately, I think some of these fires may have been started by a steam train moving through the area," he said.
David MartThere were severe delays to train services between Whitehaven and Sellafield as result.
Signalling cables were damaged, Network Rail said.
A spokesperson said: "In response, local maintenance teams worked hard to replace over 2,000 metres of cable, and repairs are ongoing."
One of the steam train operators using the route, Saphos, denied it was the source of any line-side problems.
Trains on their Lakelander rail tour had to turn back after the Cumbrian Coast Line became "inaccessible", it said.
West Coast Railways, which owns another steam train in operation on Saturday, has been contacted for comment.