Fire erupts after Ariz. train derailment, bridge collapse
A witness described the collapse and blaze as a "scene from hell"
Jami Ganz
New York Daily News
A train derailed and caught fire on a bridge that partially collapsed in Arizona early Wednesday morning.
The fire started after the derailment on the Tempe Town Lake bridge, the Tempe Fire Department told 12 News.
The train was reportedly transporting wood which then caught wood. Lumber also fell from the scene and was spotted burning below.
Neither the cause of the derailment nor the fire were immediately known. Information about those possibly injured was also not immediately known.
Tempe Police took to Twitter just before 7 a.m. local time to update the public on the situation.
The thick black smoke could be seen for miles, 3TV reports.
BREAKING! Train fire and bridge collapse on Tempe Town Lake. LIVE coverage on 3TV and CBS 5. Video from @chopperguy #azfamily pic.twitter.com/sU3nKoJf9L
— Ian Schwartz (@SchwartzTV) July 29, 2020
Camille Kimball, a woman who rode her bike below the bridge just before the collapse, told 3TV that she “got the fright of her life” when she saw what was taking place.
“Now there’s fire pouring into the lake from the middle of the bridge,” said Kimball. “It looks like a scene from hell, truly. … The flames are intense and the sky is filled with black smoke.”
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©2020 New York Daily News
#BREAKING First images from @chopperguyhd of the bridge collapse and train fire on the north end of downtown Tempe, east side of Tempe Beach Park. #azfamily pic.twitter.com/Xr1Q6CWrQC
— Gina Maravilla (@GinaMaravillaTV) July 29, 2020
CLOSURE: Loop 101 ramps to Loop 202 WB are shut because because of a train derailment over Tempe Town Lake. PLAN for more closures soon. #phxtraffic pic.twitter.com/f0heFhA01F
— Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) July 29, 2020
