Freight Train Catches Fire and Derails in Arizona

A freight train derailed and caught fire as it was crossing a heavy rail bridge in Tempe, Ariz., on Wednesday morning, causing the bridge to partially collapse and sending plumes of black smoke billowing over the Tempe Town Lake, the authorities said.

The derailment happened just after 6 a.m., Detective Natalie Barela of the Tempe Police Department said. No one was injured, she said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire or the derailment. The incident is under investigation, said Assistant Chief Andrea Glass of the Tempe Fire Department.

Eight to 10 rail cars caught fire, said Tim McMahan, a spokesman for Union Pacific, the owner of the train. Brandon Siebert, a fire investigator and a spokesman for the Tempe Fire Department, told ABC 15 that the train included “lumber cars” and “tanker cars.”