A FIREFIGHTER helped to put out a fire on board the train his father was working on.

The fire started on the Crosscountry train while it was stopped at Darlington railway station at lunchtime on Thursday.

It is believed to have been caused by a bird, which got into an extractor unit.

The train was evacuated by the time firefighters arrived, who were able to work with Network Rail to isolate the electrics and put out the blaze with a carbon dioxide extinguisher.

The Northern Echo:

One of the crew was firefighter Harry Allen, who arrived on the scene to discover that his dad was also on duty as a conductor on the train.

He said: “It was great to be working alongside my dad at the station and finding out more about his role. One of the reasons I became a firefighter is that no two days are the same and it’s certainly not every day that you get to work with your dad in these circumstances."

"It was also great to see both services working together to make the scene safe”