Reward total increased for identity of trestle bridge arsonist
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Sacramento Fire Department Thursday announced a $10,000 reward for information related to the March 15 blaze that destroyed a 1,300-foot-long Union Pacific railroad trestle on the American River Parkway in Sacramento.
The new reward is separate from an equal reward being offered by UP.
ATF investigators, working with Sacramento fire and police officials, are treating the origin of the fire as a criminal matter.
Local fire officials labeled the blaze suspicious in origin almost immediately.
The 60-year-old structure carried two UP tracks to a bridge that spans the American River. The tracks are a major chokepoint for freight and commuter trains headed through the area.
While the bridge was not damaged, the creosote-soaked trestle burned for more than a day and was completely destroyed.
Omaha, Neb.-based UP, replaced the burnt-out structure with a new concrete-and-steel trestle within weeks, in an around-the-clock effort that received praise from Sacramento, industry and the public. Estimates of the replacement costs were near $30 million.
Reward total increased for identity of trestle bridge arsonist
