Train Trestle Damaged by Fire in Calif.
March 24--A fire destroyed a travel trailer and damaged a Yuba County train trestle on Friday afternoon, halting train traffic on that route.
A farmworker and a passerby on nearby Laurellen Road reported just before 4 p.m. a large fire near the train trestle that crosses over the Feather River. By the time CalFire arrived, the trailer was a total loss and the heat and flames had caused the trestle above it to catch fire, said Battalion Chief Jeff Fuentes.
As small wisps of smoke rose from the trestle, Fuentes said the tracks and encompassing ballast rock would likely have to be dug up so any fire can be extinguished. It could take several hours to a couple of days, and then the trestle will have to be inspected to ensure it is safe for trains.
A Kinder Morgan pipeline running along the tracks will also have to be inspected.
The trestle is the easterly approach to Oregon Trestle, part of the Union Pacific's main north-south rail artery called the I-5 Corridor, and also the main north-south Amtrak route. A railroad employee who arrived on scene around 5 p.m. declined to say how long the trestle would be closed or the impact to train traffic and schedules.
No one was injured in the fire, and the cause is unknown. CalFire is investigating, Fuentes said.
A similar blaze occurred on the western side of the trestle about a month ago, when a pile of cardboard on the bulkhead of the trestle caught fire. It was unknown how long train traffic was interrupted because of that fire.
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Copyright 2012 - Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.