As Erwin's old Town Hall was burning Wednesday night, Embreeville Volunteer Firefighters were scrambling to find a new route after driving up to a passing train. The Town of Erwin called the nearby Embreeville Volunteer Fire Department for help, but firefighters were delayed six minutes getting to that fire thanks to the train.
Those firefighters couldn't get to Main Street the easy way. So, the firefighters had to find an alternate route.
"We were in a trap there so we had to turn around, go back, get on the exit, go an extra mile to the next exit, and come back down to the scene," Embreeville Fire Chief Earl Greene said. "Usually from here to Erwin we can drive there in five to seven minutes, so it was another six to seven minutes."
Luckily, those extra six to seven minutes did not prove costly for this emergency. Crews already had the fire contained. But, town leaders wonder what about next time?
"You're running against the odds all the time," Erwin Mayor Brushy Lewis said. "You can get stuck in between two trains, so it's a very unique situation."
Emergency responders have long argued the two sets of train tracks near the Erwin CSX rail yard are more than just a nuisance. However, they say the Tennessee Department of Transportation is committed to fixing the problem.
"It should be completed by 2012," Lewis said.
Lewis says the state is on track to start construction on a train overpass in Erwin no later than 2011. That would eliminate the need for a railroad crossing on Jonesborough Road.
"It's an $8 million (project) right now," Lewis said. "By the time we get it built, it will probably be $14 million."
State legislator David Hawk (R), who represents Unicoi County in Nashville, says TDOT still considers the overpass project a top priority. Leaders say it may not arrive as soon as people would like, but they promise it is on its way.
"I'd just like the people here in Unicoi County to be patient with us, because we are trying," Lewis said.
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