Ron Keagle Wrote:
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> One witness interviewed for the article said that
> the fire started with a “poof” and took off in
> less than one second after the locomotive passed
> the fire origin.
I don't disagree that grass fires can spread quickly, but one started by a single cinder would not likely "explode" from nothing in less than one second. That quote is clearly an exaggeration.
My take is that this "witness report" is about as reliable as most witness reports of aircraft accidents......which is to say, not very reliable at all. Human beings are just not good witnesses of complex events. Unfortunately, reporters typically collar the first person who comes along who claims they saw the event, because they have a deadline to meet and they're expected to have a story to present. "GPS accuracy" isn't really that important to them.
/Kevin Madore