Brush fires delaying Metra trains near North Chicago, Waukegan and Lake Bluff (ABC 7 Chicago Chopper 7). YouTube Tips ⓘ
Police and firefighters from North Chicago responded about 3:36 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, 2026 to a report of a grass fire at Sheridan Road and Martin Luther King Drive. By about 3:38 p.m. firefighters were informed that there were numerous brush fires along the Union Pacific Metra North line. Metra trains were ordered halted.
Metra Union Pacific North (UPN) train service was halted near North Chicago and further north, as firefighters worked to extinguish multiple brush fires. Several trains were stopped in the area.
A MABAS Division 5 Wildland Box Alarm on Box #15-71 was activated by 3:49 PM. The box alarm was struck out at 6:14 p.m.
Staging for firefighters, fire equipment, fire engines, ATVs and drone units was located at 14th Street and Sheridan Road.
Waukegan Fire Department also requested a Box Alarm for Change of Quarters only for a brush fire at 4:51 p.m.
Expect road closures along Sheridan Road and other roads in the area.
Winds had been gusting over 20 MPH from the Southwest since about 1:30 PM.
WEATHER CONDITIONS
MARCH 25 2026 4:51 pm CDT
Air Temperature 71°F
Humidity 25%
Wind Speed SW 24 G 35 mph
Barometer 29.76 in (1007.7 mb)
Dewpoint 33°F (1°C)
Visibility 10.00 mi
Multiple brush fires were burning along the railroad tracks that run parallel to Sheridan Road. Some of the fires were located near viaducts with firefighters working above the bridges and under the bridges.
Firefighters used drones to locate fires.
There was also a fire near Crab Tree Farm at 975 Sheridan Road in Lake Bluff.
Most of the brush fires were along the railroad tracks along Sheridan Road from about Broadway Avenue to Buckley Road (Route 137) — about a one and one-half mile stretch.
— Mike Lorber (@NBCSky5) March 25, 2026
UPN train #339, scheduled to arrive Waukegan at 3:42 PM, is stopped near North Chicago due to a fire adjacent to the tracks. The duration of this delay is unknown. Metra will provide updates as information becomes available.
— Metra UP-N (@metraUPN) March 25, 2026
UPN train #398, scheduled to depart Waukegan at 4:00 PM, will be delayed in departure due to a fire adjacent to the tracks. The duration of this delay is unknown. Metra will provide updates as information becomes available.
— Metra UP-N (@metraUPN) March 25, 2026
UPN train #354, scheduled to depart Kenosha at 4:08 PM, will be delayed in departure due to a fire adjacent to the tracks . The duration of this delay is unknown. Metra will provide updates as information becomes available.
— Metra UP-N (@metraUPN) March 25, 2026
^^ MOBILE? USE VOICE MIC ^^
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