UPDATE:

According to North Platte Fire officials, yesterday’s fire was caused by an errant spark from a cutting torch being used nearby by a contractor.

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A fire on property owned by the Union Pacific Railroad created a smokey scene just west of North Platte on Thursday.

At approximately 4:30pm, Post staffers were alerted to a fire just to the west of North Platte.  The fire was located on Union Pacific property just to the south of Highway 30 near the old Taft School building.  Firefighters from North Platte and surrounding areas responded to the scene to find a pile of railroad ties fully engulfed in flames, creating an enormous black plume of smoke.  Fire tankers and other heavy equipment was used in an attempt to bring the fire under control.

Union Pacific and Fire officials on scene declined to comment on the cause of the fire when questioned by the Post, stating that the cause was still under investigation.

According to scanner traffic, fire crews remained on scene as of 10:15pm.