A fire started this morning (Feb. 13) that set one or more train trestles ablaze over the Bonnet Carre’ Spillway has been contained by the multiple agencies that responded to the scene.
St. Charles Parish spokesman Tristan Babin said the fire had been contained, but still burning around 2 p.m. today.
Parish Sheriff Greg Champagne said the fire was accidentally started by workers on a trestle using heavy grinding equipment near Lake Ponchartrain west of New Orleans along I-10. The fire was first reported around 8:20 a.m. today from a crew working on the tracks, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
CN railroad crews were working on the tracks when they saw the fire and attempted to put it out with extinguishers.
Babin said more than one trestle has been damaged by fire and an estimated 200 feet of track has burned or is burning.
According to CN Railroad spokesman Patrick Waldron, “CN crews continue to work with St. Charles Parish and local emergency responders to extinguish the fire on a section of the railroad bridge over the Bonnet Carre Spillway. There are no injuries and the cause of the fire remains under investigation. The bridge is a part of a CN rail corridor between Jackson, Miss and New Orleans.”
Emergency agencies responded locally and from neighboring parishes, including East St. Charles Fire Department, Norco Fire Department, St. Rose Fire Department, Bayou Gauche Fire Department, St John the Baptist Fire Department, Westwego Fire Department , Lafourche Fire Department, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Kenner Police Department and St. Charles Parish Sheriff’s Office.
Babin said there is one helicopter with another enroute and 11 boats with firefighting capabilities at the scene.
Zammit said because of the difficulty to reach the structure over the spillway, they responded in boats, including airboats, to bring fire equipment to the scene.
Because the site is surrounded by water, he said there is no threat to residences.
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