Trestle Fire in Benicia Delays Amtrak

A small fire on a railroad trestle near the Carquinez Bridge delayed two Amtrak Capitol Corridor trains before it was controlled, according to fire and Amtrak officials.

A small fire on a railroad trestle near the Carquinez Bridge delayed two Amtrak Capitol Corridor trains before it was controlled, according to fire and Amtrak officials.

The fire, which affected only a couple of ties on the trestle, was first reported around 4:30 p.m. Flames were visible from the Carquinez Bridge, according to Benicia Fire Capt. Jed Matcham.

Firefighters had some difficulty in getting on to the trestle, but once there they quickly contained the fire and cleared the scene by 6 p.m., Matcham said.

The tracks were closed by the fire around 5 p.m. and two Capital Corridor trains, one eastbound and one westbound, were delayed, according to Amtrak spokeswoman Christina Leeds.

Eastbound train 738 was delayed for a little more than an hour, and westbound train 745 for about 45 minutes, Leeds said. The tracks reopened and service resumed by 6:15 p.m.

Fire's on the tracks are commonly caused by sparks from train brakes, Matcham said.

No one was injured in the fire.

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