No Arson Signs in Trestle Fire
By Mark Oswald
Of the Journal
The State Fire Marshal's Office has found "no evidence that a criminal act was committed" in connection with the fire that burned a 100-foot-high trestle on the route of the historic Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad that runs between Chama and Antonito, Colo.
Some Chama residents have said they heard loud explosions before the fire started and grew into a huge blaze on the night of June 23, raising suspicions that someone had intentionally damaged the trestle. But there was also a fireworks show in Chama that night.
The fire at the Lobato Trestle has brought regular train departures from Chama to a halt — a serious blow to the village economy — although abbreviated rides are continuing to just short of the trestle about four miles to the north.
A spokesman for the state Public Regulation Commission, which oversees the Fire Marshal's Office, said in an e-mail Wednesday that the cause of the fire at the trestle hasn't been determined.
Investigators for the fire marshal have "definitively ruled out fireworks and lightning as causes," the statement said.
Apparently, no clues pointing to arson have been found. "There is no evidence that a criminal act was committed with regard to the trestle fire," PRC spokesman Gerald Garner wrote.
In response to a question, Garner said in another message that the Fire Marshal's Office "has not ruled out train operations as a possible cause for the trestle fire."
No elaboration was provided on possible ways the train could have sparked the fire, although cinders from the narrow-gauge locomotives, which run on steam from coal-fired boilers, have been another subject of speculation. Tracks for the Cumbres & Toltec have been in place since 1880.
Cancellations from riders planning to take the train, which has a 64-mile route between Chama and Antonito and shorter rides into the mountains, have been running at 57 percent, a train official said over the weekend. The train is operated by the states of New Mexico and Colorado.
Train operators are offering bus service from Chama to Antonito for rides from that departure point.
Despite the fire, Chama and the train operators are still trying to attract a crowd for the Fourth of July weekend, touting cool temperatures, a fireworks show and a special train ride.
"This holiday weekend is going to be full of activity in and around the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad," Elmer Salazar, president and CEO of the train's management company, said in an announcement on the train's website. "The C&TSR is alive and well — and still operating to give visitors an authentic taste of 19th century steam railroading."
A "Fireworks Special" train will depart the Chama terminal at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, bound for the Lobato Trestle.
Passengers will have a chance to get off the train for a "photo run-by" along the stretch of track from Lobato and back.
The train will return to the south end of the Chama railyard to give passengers a view from the train of the Chama fireworks display, which will start at 9 p.m.
The trip will also feature a Wild West show staged by the Rio Arriba Stuntmen's Association. There will also be free snacks and sodas and live music.
Reservations can be made by calling 888-286-2737 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 888-286-2737 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
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