South Side railroad bridge, track set afire
By Alexis Huicochea ,
arizona daily star [via Yahoo.com]
Fri May 20, 4:41 AM ET
Someone intentionally set fire to a railroad bridge on the South Side [of Tucson] Thursday night, causing $30,000 in damage, officials said.
When firefighters arrived on scene just after 6:42 p.m., there was heavy flame and black smoke, he said. Initially, it was thought to be a brush fire, started by the sparks of a passing train, but after looking at the burn pattern, it was obvious that the fire was started from underneath the bridge that the tracks rest on, he said.
It is not clear if it will be safe for trains to use, he said, but Union Pacific, the company that owns the railroad, is confident the damage is not that serious.
If the damage turns out to be too extensive, all trains headed to Nogales will have to be put on hold because there is no alternative track, McDonough said.