‘Someone had malicious intent’: Historic Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad trestle destroyed by fire

The largest wooden trestle of the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad was destroyed by a fire that broke out late last month.

To make the tragedy even worse, the fire occurred just hours after the Western Forest Industries Museum, a local nonprofit organization that assumed ownership of Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad, finished its purchase of the railroad.

“Human-caused is the official line, and it’s still under investigation,” Bethan Maher, the executive director and CEO of Western Forest Industries Museum, told “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio. “What I can say is that this is an incredibly remote site. This isn’t something that you stumble on by accident. Access is really, really, really tricky to get to. I don’t believe that this was someone going for a walk with their dog and a cigarette. I think that this is something that had to have been more intentional.”

Due to its remote area, extinguishing the flames took several days. The trestle, a 28-span bridge between Mineral and Morton, was originally built between 1909 and 1921, and was completely rebuilt 20 years ago.

 

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Western Forest Industries Museum takes over the Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad

The nonprofit took over ownership of the railroad two years ago, and has seen approximately 80,000 visitors a year. Operating 12 months of the year, the nonprofit believes there was a positive economic impact in resuming the limited freight service and connecting the town of Morton to the rest of the rail network.

“We’ve been very vocal about our plans for expansion,” Maher said. “Most of the folks in the area are excited about that, but not everyone likes change. Not everyone likes expansion and development. I don’t understand it for the life of me. Someone has malicious intent.”

Maher claimed the nonprofit was a victim of ongoing attacks, including someone breaking into the shop, threatening to blow up the locomotives, leaving a manifesto at their gate, and receiving threatening emails.

“There is someone who is very mentally unwell out there who believes that we are a large evil corporation, even though we’re a very small nonprofit,” Maher said.

The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the case, while the nonprofit additionally alerted the FBI and Homeland Security.

Western Forest Industries Museum has raised approximately $200,000 to begin the rebuilding process, but Maher estimates it will cost $5-10 million to fully rebuild the trestle. While the nonprofit is applying for federal grants to help fund the reconstruction, it also has a GoFundMe page, which can be viewed here.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.