Rowena Fire prompts legal action; Suit singles out Union Pacific; Town Hall set for Thursday in TD
Suit claims several eyewitnesses saw fire’s cause.
Photo Courtesy Adam Pratt who lost his home and vehicle in the Rowena Fire.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., June 25, 2025 — A married couple from Rowena filed a federal lawsuit Monday in Portland against Union Pacific, alleging that sparks from one of the company’s freight trains ignited the Rowena Fire, a destructive blaze that scorched more than 3,500 acres earlier this month and displaced over hundreds of people.
Union Pacific officials are not accepting any blame in the cause of the fire, according to a recent story by Oregon Public Broadcasting.
In 2003 to Gerald Singleton started his own practice, which has grown from a sole proprietorship into the national firm of Singleton Schreiber, LLP, with over 80 attorneys and 400 employees and over a dozen offices throughout the United States, according to his website.
Singleton is one of the nation’s leading experts in fire litigation. Over the past two decades, he and his team have represented over 30,000 fire victims in more than 30 wildfires in California, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Colorado and Texas, and have recovered over $3 billion on their behalf, the site states.
Singleton’s firm is now looking to represent locals harmed in the Rowena Fire.
“No official cause for the fire has been released, and Union Pacific is fully cooperating with state investigators,” the statement from UP reads in the OPB story.
The Oregon Department of Forestry is officially charged with determining the cause.
In the lawsuit, Ramon Garza Nino and Maria Carrera of Rowena, accuses Union Pacific Corporation and Union Pacific Railroad Company of negligence, trespass, and nuisance.
They are seeking monetary damages for property loss, emotional distress, lost wages, and evacuation costs. The suit is being handled through Singleton Schreiber Injury Attorneys and it alleges violations of multiple federal safety regulations, including the Federal Railroad Safety Act and the Locomotive Inspection Act.
CCCNews has attempted to seek comment from Nino and Carrera through a family member. We will add their comments if they choose to respond.
The Rowena Fire began around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 11 near milepost 76 along Union Pacific’s Portland subdivision, the suit states. According to the complaint, the fire was ignited by "superheated particles" emitted from a train traveling between Hermiston and Portland. The blaze ultimately destroyed at least 56 homes, 91 commercial buildings, and 18 additional structures.
“The combination of strong winds, low relative humidity, and hot temperatures resulted in the National Weather Service issuing “red flag warnings” of extreme wildfire risk prior to and on June 11, 2025, in the Columbia River Gorge, including Wasco County,” the suit states. “Despite the extreme risk of wildfires in Wasco County on June 11, 2025, Defendants operated their Train in an area with dry, overgrown vegetation on and next to its Tracks.”
“Several eyewitnesses reported observing that the Rowena Fire started when sparks,hot debris, particles, emissions, and/or other materials from Defendant’s Train ignited the overgrown vegetation on or near Defendants’ Tracks,” the suit states.
The plaintiffs are represented by Singleton Schreiber LLP, a California- and Oregon-based firm also leading litigation related to the 2023 Tunnel 5 Fire in Skamania County, Wash., which was also allegedly started by embers emitted by a passing train.
A State of Washington Department of Natural Resources wildland fire investigation report on the Tunnel 5 Fire obtained by Columbia Insight pinpointed debris from brakes and carbon emission particles from a BNSF locomotive engine as the cause of the Tunnel 5 blaze, according to the news sites report in September 2024.
“This appears to be yet another tragic example of preventable wildfire destruction linked to railroad operations,” said lead attorney Gerald Singleton in a statement. “Families have lost their homes, livelihoods, and sense of security all because of corporate irresponsibility.”
Singleton Schreiber Injury Attorneys have been organizing suits against power companies and railroads for years.
This January, the NAACP and Singleton Schreiber announced a partnership to advocate for justice on behalf of the victims of the devastating Eaton Fire and the burning of Altadena in Southern California.
Nino and Carrera allege Union Pacific failed to inspect or maintain its trains and trackside vegetation, did not heed extreme fire warnings issued by the National Weather Service, and lacked proper fire prevention and emergency response procedures.
Under Oregon law, the plaintiffs are also seeking double damages for their economic and property losses.
Singleton Schreiber Injury Attorneys are set hold a town hall meeting for those impacted by the Rowena Fire on Thursday, June 26, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Dalles Civic Auditorium, 323 E. 4th Street. Attorneys will be available to answer questions and provide legal guidance. Remote attendance is also available via Zoom.
Zoom Information:
Meeting ID: 876 6634 4222
Passcode: 799324
Link:Join Zoom Town Hall
