Teamsters Canada Rail Conference

A railway bridge in B.C.'s Fraser Canyon caught fire Thursday, shutting down CN Rail traffic between Metro Vancouver and the Interior.

The flames stretched right across the bridge deck, said witness Terry Raymond.

"The bridge from one end to the other, all the ties on the bridge, creosote ties of course, are on fire … there was just flames shooting up from everywhere, and then billowing black smoke of course," Raymond said.

Local and regional fire crews were called in to fight the fire, about 10 kilometres south of Lytton.

Raymond said there were no forest fires in the area and it's not known what caused the blaze. He said while the railway ties are wood, the rest of the bridge is metal.

CN spokeswoman Kelli Svendsen said no train was on the bridge when the fire broke out and it's not known how long the bridge will be out of commission. However, there is also a CP Rail bridge nearby.

It was the second time in two days that CN Rail traffic along the Fraser River had been interrupted after a mudslide hit the tracks near Hope Wednesday.

That slide also blocked the Trans-Canada Highway in both directions for almost 24 hours before the muck was cleared away.
 

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