Service along the six-mile stretch was stopped for about 90 minutes, causing delays for seven Amtrak trains, said an Amtrak spokeswoman. Two of SEPTA's commuter trains were delayed for about an hour, a spokesman said. Rail travel resumed about 2:30 p.m., but at greatly reduced speeds for the safety of the firefighters who continued to hose down hot spots along the tracks, said Tyron.
Brush fires along the tracks are not uncommon. "But the last time there was one this bad was about 15 years ago," said Hopkins.
By late Friday afternoon, investigators had not been able to identify the train believed to have sparked the fires, Tyron said.
Tinderbox conditions concern Tyron, especially since fireworks will be launched throughout the Independence Day weekend.
After record precipitation levels in February and March, the region has dried out radically. In the last month, rainfall in Bucks County is just 60 percent of normal, according to the National Weather Service, and only 40 percent in Philadelphia.
The spreading dryness and brisk winds on Thursday moved the weather service to hoist red-flag warnings for fire dangers on both sides of the Delaware River. The criteria for a red flag is steady winds over 15 m.p.h. and humidity of 25 percent or less.
It took down the warnings Friday, but that essentially was a technicality. "The wind was just a little weaker, and we had a little more humidity," said James Hayes, lead forecaster in the weather service's Mount Holly office.
Fire activity in the Garden State has been much brisker than last year's, according to the New Jersey Forest Fire Service. As of last week, over 2,500 acres had been charred, the service said, compared with a little more than 1,000 last year.
The fire danger remains "very high" for central New Jersey and "high" for South Jersey.
Contact staff writer Sam Wood at 215-854-2796 or samwood@phillynews.com.Inquirer staff writer Anthony R. Wood contributed to this article.
