Sherwood Fire 2015 — A railroad trestle in Sherwood caught fire on Monday eventually collapsed at two points at the early hours of Tuesday morning, trapping a firefighter on duty. Officials have since confirmed the collapse of the wooden trestle and the rescue of the said firefighter.
According to Oregon Live, the Sherwood fire incident started at 4:20 p.m. at the Portland & Western railroad trestle which was built 85 years ago. The blaze at the 50-foot high trestle rapidly spread below where there's abundant grass.
As the flame continued to burn the 600-foot-long trestle, two points located in two different places eventually collapsed. First was the Southwest Tualatin-Sherwood Road and next came the Langer Farms Parkway.
The Sherwood fire caused the said points to start collapsing at 6 p.m. Monday night.
As firefighters attempted to extinguish the flame, one got into an accident when his leg got trapped when he fell through a part of the structure.
A Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue spokeswoman confirmed the incident, saying that the firefighter was part of a 4-person crew who responded to contain the flame.
To save the firefighter that got stuck amid the Sherwood fire incident, his fellow firefighters helped free his leg using a chainsaw. He was then assisted to a responding ambulance and was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital for examination and treatment.
The spokeswoman confirmed that the firefighter was rescued and taken to the hospital. She assured local media that the injury obtained by the firefighter was not at all serious.
Meanwhile, the wooden trestle continues to burn as of writing since the gusty winds fuel its spread, reported KATU.com. Early Tuesday, the monitoring team said only one-third of the structure remained standing and the remaining parts are expected to be consumed as well.
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue has issued an advisory to over 7,000 locals that they should close their doors and windows as much as possible as the heavy smoke from the Sherwood fire can irritate and cause discomfort to the human body.
Local officials said they are uncertain whether or not they should rebuild the very old trestle.
Officials have enlisted a dozen firefighters to ensure that a possible collapse will not lead to another fire in the surrounding area. The Sherwood fire is expected to continue burning for a couple more days, according to KOMOnews.com.
