Feds sue railroad, others for the costs of fire

The federal government filed a lawsuit Friday seeking financial compensation for damage caused by a 2002 fire in Price Canyon that affected about 3,200 acres.

The suit filed in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City names the Union Pacific Railroad and MotivePower, both Delaware-based companies, and Utah Railway Co., a Utah firm.

The lawsuit alleges that a turbo charge on a Utah Railway engine that was helping a Union Pacific train get through the canyon caused the fire. MotivePower was the firm that installed and maintained the charger.

The federal government is seeking $653,364 to cover firefighting costs and the expense of reclaiming damaged federal land.

No one was available to answer phone calls late Friday to offices for Utah Railway Co., MotivePower and the Union Pacific.