Officials determine cause of rail bridge fire in west Lincoln

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Lincoln Fire & Rescue determined the cause of the railroad bridge fire in west Lincoln on Monday.

According to spokesperson MJ Lierman, the fire inspector said an unattended campfire sparked the blaze.

Authorities said the area is well known as an encampment, and because of the overnight freezing temperatures, someone could have started a fire to keep warm.

SEE ALSO: Rail bridge collapses following early morning fire in west Lincoln; repair timeline unknown

Crews responded to the call around 4 a.m. near Sun Valley Boulevard and Line Drive.

Lierman said despite the freezing temperatures, heavy smoke and growing flames, those weren’t the biggest challenges for fire crews.

“The access roads around there are limited-weight access for getting a fire engine into there, which is really difficult,” she said. “We called our brush rig because the grass was on fire, and it was spreading. The structure of the bridge itself is going to burn itself out.”

The track is an active rail line used by both Union Pacific and BNSF Railway.

BNSF owns a nearby rail yard, though officials did not immediately indicate whether yard operations were affected.

“An engineering team is on the ground surveying the situation,” Union Pacific said in a statement. “No time frame on when repairs will be done.”

The company added that the incident remains under investigation.

Officials said it is too early to determine how or when the bridge might be replaced.

For years, the bridge has been a familiar part of the local landscape and served as a key rail structure in the area, used periodically for freight traffic.

Now, with sections collapsed and the line closed, its future remains uncertain.