Trestle fire halts Lake Oswego train traffic indefinitely

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A fire that engulfed a train trestle near Fairoaks Drive in southeast Milwaukie early Tuesday morning has halted the train traffic that runs through Lake Oswego and past its multi-million-dollar, lakeside homes.

Portland & Western Railroad spokesperson Tom Ciuba told KOIN 6 News that the railroad uses the affected freight line to transport a variety of goods. The line — at the very least — will remain closed until the trestle is assessed for damages.

“We'll need to assess any potential damage to the structure from the fire before we can allow operations to run,” Ciuba said.

It’s unclear when the assessment on the trestle will be completed.

“We don’t want to rush an assessment,” Ciuba said. “It’ll take as long as our teams feel they need to ensure that the structure is still safe and intact.”

The bridge was a towering wall of fire when firefighters with the Clackamas Fire District responded to the scene at 2: 40 a.m. The fire has since been extinguished.