(The Associated Press circulated the following on September 25.)
RIDLEY PARK, Pa. — A trash truck crashed on a bridge and caught fire Tuesday, spilling burning debris over the guardrail and onto Amtrak rail lines below.
The tractor-trailer crashed into the guardrail on an Interstate 95 bridge crossing the tracks near Ridley Park, about 10 miles south of Philadelphia, at about 10:45 a.m.
Amtrak service was shut down in the area for two hours, and resumed at reduced speeds because of cleanup work, spokeswoman Karina Romero said. The railroad expected delays to continue into Tuesday evening on trains between Washington, D.C., and New York, she said.
The fire appeared to start when debris fell onto power line cables below the bridge, producing flames that shot up and ignited the truck, state police Trooper Jon Sunderlin said.
Witnesses reported seeing the driver get out before the Waste Management Inc. truck caught fire, Sunderlin said.
The trash in the trailer, some of it aflame, continued spilling onto the tracks below as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze.
The tracks passing underneath the bridge are used by Amtrak and a Philadelphia commuter line that also experienced delays, officials said.
Northbound lanes of I-95 were closed for several hours, causing lengthy traffic delays. The roadway was reopened by 4 p.m.