Singleton Schreiber Files Lawsuit Against Union Pacific for Hermiston Family Whose Home Burned in Cold Springs Fires
HERMISTON, OR — Singleton Schreiber has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon, against Union Pacific Corporation and Union Pacific Railroad Company on behalf of Heidi Lloyd, Brian Lloyd, Brady Lloyd and their grandmother, Patricia Edmunds. The family’s multi-generational home near Hermiston was destroyed and their pets killed in the July 2025 Cold Springs Fires. The lawsuit alleges that a Union Pacific train started the fires, following more than a decade of train-caused fires along the company’s tracks in Umatilla County.
The lawsuit alleges that around 2 p.m. on July 2, 2025, a Union Pacific train traveling along the Columbia River ignited multiple fires near milepost 195 of Highway 730, about seven miles northeast of Hermiston. Witnesses reported at least six separate fires igniting over several miles of track as the train passed. Video from a nearby business allegedly shows the train igniting at least two fires about a quarter mile from the family’s home. High temperatures, dry conditions, sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour and gusts up to 35 miles per hour fueled the fires, which merged and burned more than 2,400 acres.
According to the complaint, fire investigators concluded the fires were caused by sparks and hot debris emitted from the train’s locomotives. The train allegedly kept running and starting more fires until a first responder at the scene formally requested a track shutdown. The complaint also alleges Union Pacific crew members never reported the fires to local emergency responders, and that eyewitnesses were the first to call 911.
The complaint further alleges that Union Pacific crew members resisted inspection by the fire marshal. The crew members moved the locomotives before he could examine them, refused to shut down the locomotive so it could be safely inspected, and provided no response to the fire district’s records requests.
The family’s home on East Walls Road had been in the family for three generations and more than 50 years. Heidi Lloyd was alone and asleep inside when the fire began. According to the complaint, she woke to an explosion, found the house surrounded by flames and had to be rescued by firefighters. The fires destroyed virtually all of the family’s personal property and killed several of their pets. They also destroyed an 8,400-square-foot garden and Weeping Birch trees planted in honor of Ms. Edmunds’ son.
The complaint identifies 11 earlier Union Pacific-caused fires within about 22 miles of the ignition site since 2014. Two of the locomotives on the train alleged to have ignited the Cold Springs Fires, Nos. 681 and 668, were found by fire investigators to have ignited the August 2024 Bud Draper Fire about 15 miles away from the Cold Springs Fires. Locomotive No. 681 was also involved in the 2021 Sand Station Fire, about five miles from where the Cold Springs Fires started.
“This family lost a home that held more than 50 years of their history, and Heidi Lloyd had to be rescued by firefighters as flames surrounded the house,” said Rich Barker, partner at Singleton Schreiber. “The Cold Springs Fires burned homes, memories, and livelihoods, and families like the Lloyds and Ms. Edmunds are still trying to rebuild. They deserve answers and accountability.”
“Communities around Columbia River Gorge and Basin have seen fire after fire start along these tracks, and some of these fires were started by the same Union Pacific locomotives time and time again,” said Gerald Singleton, founding partner of Singleton Schreiber. “That history raises serious questions about what Union Pacific knew and why it kept running these trains through Umatilla County in dangerous fire conditions.”
The lawsuit brings claims for negligence, trespass, nuisance, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The family seeks compensatory, double economic and property damages, and punitive damages, as permitted under Oregon law.
About Singleton Schreiber
Singleton Schreiber is a client-centered law firm focusing on civil rights, environmental justice, mass torts/multi-district litigation, and personal injury/wrongful death. With a deep commitment to serving communities that have been marginalized and harmed, the firm has spent over a decade fighting for justice and holding powerful corporations accountable. Home to the nation’s largest fire litigation practice, the firm has represented over 30,000 wildfire and explosion victims and played leading roles in high-stakes cases nationwide. Singleton Schreiber is also a leader in environmental litigation, advocating for those impacted by corporate negligence and environmental disasters, including the 2025 Moss Landing Battery Fire, the ongoing Imperial Beach Sewage Spill, and the City of Boulder and Boulder County’s lawsuit against oil giants for exacerbating climate change. Its civil rights practice tackles police misconduct, excessive force, wrongful incarceration, and free speech violations, using strategic litigation to drive reform. The team is also pursuing groundbreaking litigation against Tesla’s autopilot system, serving in leadership in national hair relaxer litigation, and advocating for survivors of abuse by major hotel chains. With deep experience in complex claims, Singleton Schreiber is committed to obtaining justice for its clients, holding corporations accountable and helping communities recover.
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