Early fire engulfs train trestle near Willow Glen

Fire that consumed wooden structure was contained within an hour

SAN JOSE >> Firefighters quickly extinguished an early-morning blaze that engulfed a wooden train trestle near Willow Glen.

About 200 feet of wooden train trestle on the Willow Street Bridge next to McLellan Avenue was damaged after the fire ignited at about 3:15 a.m., Wednesday, San Jose Fire Capt. Tremaine Thierry said. The fire was knocked down in about 45 minutes.

Caltrain and Union Pacific tracks run through the area, and representatives from both transit agencies were at the scene to assess damage, Thierry said. The Caltrain tracks are on concrete and “should be just fine,” spokesman Dan Lieberman said.

The tracks owned by Union Pacific, which are sometimes used by Caltrain, rest on the wooden trestle. The train trestle is between the Diridon and Tamien stations.

Once the blaze was extinguished, trains were cleared for single-tracking through the area, according to a Caltrain spokesman. Caltrain has been single-tracking through the area recently because of Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement Project, located a few miles north of Willow Street Bridge.

Caltrain, in cooperation with the City of San Jose, is in the process of replacing the railroad bridge crossing at Los Gatos Creek, located just south of West San Carlos Street. The current bridge was built in 1935, and in order to meet current seismic safety standards, must be replaced, according to Caltrain.

Delays are expected to be minimal, according to Caltrain.

The cause of the fire is under investigation. However, Thierry said there is a homeless population living in the area, and there have been multiple fires there recently. San Jose firefighters responded to a brush fire in the same area last week.