Northbound Edgewood reopens at train track overpass after crane fire

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A day after a crane caught fire and sent flames shooting 40 feet high, damaging an overpass on Edgewood Avenue, repair crews were still working to make repairs to the concrete structure.

Northbound lanes of Edgewood reopened before noon Tuesday, while southbound lanes will remain closed until officials can inspect the structure.

JFRD said crews were able to quickly put out the fire Monday night at the overpass southwest of New Kings Road, which takes vehicles over the rail yard, but it’s unclear how long the crane had been burning before crews arrived.

Hazmat crews were called to the scene to clean up oil and fuel from the crane, which was being used to move train cars underneath the Edgewood Avenue overpass at the Norfolk Southern rail yard.

FDOT spokesperson Hampton Ray said crews with the department arrived within minutes, and out of an “abundance of caution,” the structure will remain closed until they can fully inspect it.

Connor Spielmaker from Norfolk Southern released the following statement from the company:

First, we want to let everyone know no one was injured. We’re grateful for Jacksonville Fire & Rescue’s quick response to the scene, and the fire is out. The Florida Department of Transportation is on-site inspecting the Edgewood Ave bridge and we are assisting them with whatever access they need to our facility to quickly accomplish that.

Spielmaker later said the fire is still under investigation and that Norfolk Southern will independently investigate the cause of the fire. “Norfolk Southern’s top focus is safety,” Spielmaker said.

News4JAX confirmed this is the second crane fire in just over four months for Norfolk Southern in Jacksonville. Another crane caught fire at a Northwest Jacksonville rail yard in November.

The overpass closure has also affected JTA’s route through the area. JTA said stops 3532 and 5118 on Routes 32 and 51 will be missed until further notice.

FDOT said it regularly inspects the bridge and the closure was primarily done to make sure there wasn’t any fire damage to the bridge. They say as soon as it opens it would be considered safe to drive on.

Early Tuesday evening, FDOT said the crane had been removed and crews will be conducting another inspection.