A major wooden trestle on the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad has been destroyed in a potential arson fire, a major blow that has the operation asking for financial support.
The heritage railway, in a Facebook post, says a fire at a 28-span bridge between Mineral and Morton, Wash., was reported about 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday, April 30. It took fire crews more than an hour to reach the scene, and by then, the railroad says, "the damage was done."
In a Friday, May 2, Facebook video showing a collapse of portions of the bridge, the railroad says the state Department of Natural Resources has determined the fire was human-caused.
The bridge had been rebuilt 20 years ago and was still structurally sound, the railroad says. It burned just after the sale of the railroad had been finalized.