(The following report appeared on the Democrat-Herald website on August 18.)
ALBANY, Ore. — A fire burning in Tunnel 7 on Union Pacific’s Cascade Line approximately 33 miles southeast of Oakridge has closed the I-5 rail corridor indefinitely, the Oregon Department of Transportation reported.
The fire continued burning today, according to information received by Robert Melbo of the ODOT Rail Division.
The Union Pacific hoped the interruption of the line would not last longer than 10 days from now, Melbo reported from Salem.
Amtrak has decided to operate the Coast Starlight trains between Seattle and Eugene and between Los Angeles and Oakland, Calif. Amtrak is not offering any substitute service between Oakland and Eugene, which includes the Oregon intermediate points of Klamath Falls and Chemult. This will continue until Friday when Amtrak will reevaluate the situation if the line has not reopened in the interim.
Melbo said that according to UP spokesman John Bromley in Omaha, a freight train crew discovered the fire burning in two places inside the 3,164-foot long tunnel about 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
Since then, the fire has intensified and is generating very high temperatures, said Bromley, keeping UP personnel from effectively fighting the fire and assessing the situation.
The fire also is burning behind the concrete lining in at least one location, making it difficult to attack with water or fire suppressing chemicals.
Tunnel 7, like the other tunnels between Crescent Lake and Oakridge, was built in 1925-26, Melbo said.
Tunnel 7 is between the sidings of Cruzatte and Frazier (both named for members of the Lewis and Clark expedition).
Bromley said UP had moved water tank cars equipped with fire-fighting apparatus up to the tunnel. These cars are normally stationed at Oakridge and other points for fighting forest fires.
UP will detour some of its Cascade line traffic via the BNSF’s Oregon Trunk, but this line does not have enough capacity to handle the 18 or so freight trains per day UP has been operating between Eugene and California.
Some traffic will be detoured via Salt Lake City and Las Vegas, he said.
Melbo also reported that Saturday, UP also experienced a major derailment in California’s San Joaquin Valley between Fresno and Bakersfield. A freight train moving at 55 MPH derailed 35 cars, some of which, in turn, struck and derailed two locomotives and one car of another freight train standing in a siding. This line is considered part of the main Pacific Coast rail corridor also.