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An Amtrak train from Seattle to Los Angeles was stuck in Oakridge, Oregon for two nights after hitting a fallen tree around 6:30 pm. Sunday night after a recent snowstorm.
No one was injured in the accident.
After the train was released, he returned to Eugene around 11:30. Amtrak said it would return to Seattle, but a railway bridge owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe caught fire Tuesday morning, according to KOIN 6 News.
BNSF told KOIN that the bridge, known as the Slough Bridge, is the only bridge between Oregon and Washington in which trains can cross the Columbia River.
The fire is off. The Portland fire said the flames would have been lit by workers on the bridge.
From noon, all traffic is stopped, including Amtrak and Union Pacific, during the bridge inspection.
Traffic on the bridge should resume at 15 hours. Tuesday.
The train began its trip to Seattle at 9:45 am Sunday and remained stuck in Oakridge, Oregon, that night.
Amtrak spokeswoman, Olivia Irvin, said the heavy snow and debris left on the tracks prevented the 183 passengers of the Coast Starlight Train from getting stuck in the area.
At around 7:20 am, Amtrak tweeted that the train was back and was returning to Seattle, but that due to weather conditions, delays were expected along the route.
It took several hours for the slow train to get to Eugene.
Union Pacific, owner of the tracks, issued a statement Monday night:
"The Amtrak train from Oakridge, Oregon, is unusable due to weather conditions and destruction of trees. UP teams are clearing the lane and should reach the train at 6 am PT. "
Amtrak made the decision to keep the passengers on the train because the electricity is cut off in town.
Moreover, with only two small hotels in town, they did not want to separate the passengers before returning them for departure.
At first, Amtrak had stated that there was enough food on the train, but a passenger, Rebekah Dodson, told KIRO 7 that the cookie baskets were empty Tuesday morning and that people were making diapers with towels and safety pins.
Amtrak Executive Vice President, Scot Naparstek, apologized in a statement.
"With more than a foot of thick snow and many trees blocking the trail, we made every decision in the best interest of our customers' safety during the unfortunate sequence of events," a- he declared.
The authorities decided that the train was the safest place for passengers because it had food, heated electricity and functioning toilets, Naparstek said.
He added that Amtrak will contact customers "to provide refunds and other compensation, if any".
Associated Press contributed to this report.
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