A fire erupted at a California High-Speed Rail construction site in southeast Fresno on Wednesday, temporarily halting work on the Church Avenue overpass project.
The blaze began shortly before 9 a.m., with flames engulfing wooden construction materials at the site. According to Josh Sellers with the Fresno Fire Department, “There’s a lot of plywood and lumber that’s involved in this,” which fueled the fire at the partially completed structure.
Fresno Fire deployed 20 firefighters to battle the blaze, attacking it from above while construction workers watched from a safe distance. All workers evacuated safely with no injuries reported.
“We have the railroad tracks here that we ended up having to close down and stop the trains because we have a ladder truck in place that’s blocking the tracks,” Sellers explained.
Investigators believe routine construction activities likely sparked the fire. The flames affected the wooden shoring framework that would normally hold concrete for the permanent structure.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority confirmed the incident in a statement: “Thanks to the work of Fresno Fire Department, the fire has been extinguished. We will continue to support and coordinate as needed.”
The Church Avenue overpass was scheduled to be completed by March 2026, though officials have not yet determined how the fire might impact that timeline.
This incident adds another challenge to the controversial high-speed rail project, which is currently more than six years behind schedule and nearly $100 billion over budget. Despite these setbacks, Governor Gavin Newsom expressed continued support for the project during a Tuesday event in Kern County, where officials opened a new facility to lay down track.
“This is not just a transportation project,” Governor Newsom said. “This is about reimagining the future of this region. One of the fastest, most dynamic regions – fastest growing – in the state of California. It’s a point of pride.”
The high-speed rail project broke ground in Fresno eleven years ago but has yet to begin operations.
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