ELBE, Wash. — More than a week after a devastating fire destroyed a crucial part of the Mount Rainier Scenic Railroad, officials are assessing the damage and planning the next steps for recovery.
The fire, which happened the night of April 30, led to the collapse of a vital train trestle nearly 24 hours after the fire started, derailing major plans to expand service on the railroad.
“We were hoping to have it done sort of within the next 18 months, so this is a huge setback,” Bethan Maher, Executive Director of the Western Forest Industries Museum, said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but investigators told KOMO News it was likely human-caused, though they have not yet said if it was arson or accidental.
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“We know that it’s a difficult site to access and the conditions were really wet, so the railroad suspects that it was deliberate action, and arson investigators haven’t ruled that yet,” Maher said.
Efforts to extinguish the flames took several days, and now crews are focusing on cleanup efforts before the wildfire season begins.
“There’s suspended rail, which is a safety risk, and the creosote-treated timbers are an environmental hazard,” Maher explained. “There’s a small stream there, so we want to be conscious of the environmental impact and get this thing cleaned up quickly before fire season.”
Agencies such as BNSF Railway have volunteered to assist in the recovery process, and local organizations are also offering rewards for information that could help investigators determine the cause of the fire.
“There will be surveying, geo tech, and engineering that happens from there for a rebuild,” Maher said of the recovery process. “Obviously, it’s a priority, but funding is going to be a huge challenge.”
The cost to repair the destroyed trestle is estimated to be millions, derailing the organization’s plans for expansion, which were intended to help boost tourism and economic activity in smaller communities in the area. “
“I think there’s a lot of business owners that are sad and hurt,” Maher said. “They were expecting more tourist dollars in the area, more tax dollars, sort of from the freight service and those sorts of things, so I think that they’re sad, they’re angry, just sort of dismayed.”
