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Photo
by: Yvonne Johns |
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A
section of railroad trestle burns as firefighters
work to control the blaze. The railroad
trestle serving the Colonel's Island Port Terminal as seen from US
Highway 17 late Saturday. Firefighters battled the blaze
about 10 hours Saturday night before bring the blaze under control |
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Photo
by: Yvonne Johns |
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Wind driven flames consumed
a section of trestle that was not accessible by
firefighters. |
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Photo
courtesy: Georgia Ports Authority |
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Burned out section west of the
mid-span. This area was heavily involved and not accessible
from the trestle or by boat. |
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Photo
courtesy: Georgia Ports Authority |
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Burned out sections near the mid-span
of the trestle were not accessible by firefighters. |
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Photo
courtesy: Georgia
Ports Authority
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The heat from the blaze caused the
steel railroad rails to expand and deform until one broke due to the
extreme stress. |
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GLYNN
COUNTY, GA. - Saturday May 31, 2003 at approximately 16:00 hours the
Glynn County Fire Department was notified about a trestle fire near the
Fancy Bluff Road. The blaze proved to be challenging for fire
fighters to extinguish.
According
to a spokes person from the Georgia Forestry Commission, a wild fire
believed to have been extinguished earlier the previous week may
have been fanned back to life and jumped its breaks during the high winds
Saturday morning. It is believed that this wild fire advanced
un-noticed and burned underneath the wooden trestle, igniting it. It
was not until after nearly 600 feet of trestle was ablaze that authorities
were notified of the fire.
Apparatus
from two Glynn County stations, along with volunteers and on call
personnel, responded to the scene. Upon arrival personnel found a stretch
of trestle, crossing a salt marsh, nearly fully involved. The blaze
was going to have to be attacked from the two ends as there was no readily
available way to access the bridge from below.
The
Georgia Port Authority representatives, arrived on scene and informed Fire
Chief Carl Johnson that the rail line was shut down and that there was going
to be no train traffic. One fire engine was deployed on the East end of
the trestle, from the port facility, while another engine was instructed
to drive down
nearly 1/2 mile of railroad track. straddling the rails and put into operation
at the west end of the trestle.
Chief
Johnson had Glynn-Brunswick Dispatch notify neighboring departments that
had tankers capable of traversing the rough terrain along side of the
track. Personnel
and apparatus responded from Atkinson and Calvary Volunteer Fire
Departments, stationed in Brantley County, utilizing surplus military vehicles outfitted with water tanks,
to assist with water shuttles. These tankers were
used to shuttle the water from fire hydrants approximately 1-1/2 miles
away to the engines in place at the both ends of the trestle. One Glynn County tanker and one from a
neighboring department experienced mechanical problems during the
operation and were taken out of service.
The
strong winds along with the lack of a continuous water source made
firefighting difficult. It wasn't until after Glynn
County volunteer Andy Jones responded with a boat that the firefighters
began to gain the upper hand in battling the blaze. Volunteer Jones,
utilizing a
portable pump, provided water from the creek to fire fighting crews
located on the trestle. As the tide came in, Jones was able to proceed up a
tidal ditch, previously dry, and provide water to fire fighting personnel
that were using a "Marsh
Master" provided by Georgia Power Company. This vehicle,
designed to be able to move across the marsh, provided a mobile platform
that allowed fire fighting personnel to move along the trestle and access
areas that they were not able to earlier.
The
combination of the continuous supply of water, from the creek, and the mobile platform
provided fire fighters with the additional advantage needed to bring
the fire under control. The fire was brought under control at about
0200 hours Sunday morning. Once the tide dropped out, and the fire no
longer accessible, the decision was made to suspend suppression activities
until the following morning so that the tide and boat could be utilized to
maximize the efforts of department personnel.
The
U.S. Coast Guard was on location during much of the extinguishment
operation and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources
was notified about the potential hazards to boaters passing under the trestle.
The Environmental Protection Division was also notified about the debris
and potential pollutants being discharged into the marsh as a result of
the fire.
One
fire fighter was transported to the local hospital and treated for
dehydration. No other injuries were reported as a result of the
incident.
Fire
fighting crews returned Sunday morning at 0800 hours with the boat and
continued to extinguish hot spots until approximately 1430 hours.
One section of the trestle, not accessible from the boat or trestle,
suffered severe damage as a result of the fire and continues to smolder.
The
damage to the trestle is being assessed by a consulting engineering
firm. Repairs to the trestle are being planned and should begin
soon.
Related:
Times
Union: "Burned
trestle too damaged for quick fix"
GCFD
Photo Album: "Georgia
Port Authority / Brunswick Terminal - Railroad Trestle Fire"
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