(The following article by Tony Bizjak, Kim Minugh and Chelsea Phua was posted on the Sacramento Bee website on March 16.)
SACRAMENTO — A dramatic evening fire along the American River Parkway near Cal Expo destroyed a Union Pacific mainline track Thursday, sending billowing black smoke thousands of feet into the blue skies and disrupting train traffic through the Sacramento area.
The fast-moving fire, first reported at 5:41 p.m., quickly consumed about 200 yards of heavy-duty trestle timber and tracks in a secluded section of the parkway, just north of the river and west of the Capital City Freeway.
About 100 firefighters from the city Fire Department and the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District tackled the blaze, which produced a plume of smoke that reportedly could be seen 50 miles away.
Veteran firefighters described the scene as one of the most spectacular of their careers.
“In 18 years, this ranks right up there in the biggest columns of smoke I’ve seen,” said city fire Capt. Billy White, who was among the first arriving firefighters. “This is a pretty big fire for an outside structure.”
Efforts were slowed by the lack of traditional access to water in the area, forcing firefighters to rely on relay-pumping from hydrants in developed areas on the north side of the parkway levee near Cal Expo. They laid thousands of feet of hose, and used two fireboats.
As night fell, burned sections of the 25-foot-high trestle began crumbling. Firefighters expected to be on scene all night keeping the smoldering embers at bay.
“We’re not going to be able to stop putting water on this,” said city fire Capt. Jim Doucette.
One firefighter was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Union Pacific officials confirmed Thursday night that the destroyed track was one of the company’s main freight lines between Sacramento and points east, as well as a major passenger corridor for local commuter and long-distance trains.
The fire forced Amtrak to halt the 130-passenger California Zephyr from Chicago through Sacramento to the Bay Area. Merlyn Powell from Idaho, who was en route to visit her daughter and grandchildren, said the train stopped five miles short of the trestle. She and other passengers waited for buses to pick them up.
“This is the longest train ride we’ve ever taken,” Powell said via cell phone. “We’ll just laugh about it tomorrow.”
Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole said the agency expects to set up bus service between Auburn and Sacramento today and is “not anticipating any lengthy backups.”
However, he said, “this is a long-term situation … at least a couple weeks.”
Officials with the Capitol Corridor system — which runs regional trains between the Bay Area and Auburn — alerted passengers that service between Sacramento and Auburn will be out of operation. They said, however, that beginning this morning buses will transport passengers.
By late Thursday, fire officials had not determined the cause of the fire. The extent of the damage, however, was known early.
“The whole bridge will be a loss,” Doucette said. “I fully expect it to collapse.”
UP spokesman James Barnes said UP won’t know for several hours what the damage means in terms of rerouting freight trains.
The fire on the trestle, several hundred yards west of the Capital City Freeway, caused backups for several miles during the evening rush hour.
Caltrans officials reported no major problems, but the monstrous fire, which sent a thick mushroom of smoke straight up over Sacramento, caused plenty of people to slow and gawk.
“It’s a lookie-loo kind of situation,” Caltrans spokesman Mark Dinger said.
Hundreds of people also gathered on the levee and in the nearby Costco parking lot to watch and take pictures.
The intensity of the fire, the rate at which it spread and the blackness of the smoke were attributed partly to the heavy buildup of creosote coating — a petroleum-based preservative — on the trestle timbers and railroad ties, firefighters and air quality officials said.
Because of the fumes, officials ordered all firefighters to use their oxygen tanks — an unusual practice for outdoor fires, firefighters said.
Concern about possible contamination of the river prompted state Fish and Game Department officials to plan efforts to prevent runoff from flowing downstream.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Utility District cut power from high-power wires near the fire as a precaution at the request of fire officials, SMUD spokesman Catherine Kenny said. The cutoff did not disrupt service, and the 120-foot metal towers and power lines were not in danger from the fire, she said.
Crowds dissipated with nightfall, but some onlookers remained, marveling at the illuminated plume and swirling embers.
“It’s not like you see something like this every day,” said 40-year-old Mark Turknett.
Because there was little wind, the smoke shot straight up and spread over a wide area, reducing the threat of health hazards, said Lori Kobza, spokeswoman for the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality District.
Emergency workers used loudspeakers to tell pedestrians to stay out of the path of the smoke, fearing it might be hazardous. The column of smoke rose an estimated 2,000 feet before bending in a 90-degree angle, blanketing the capital skyline.