VIDEO: A railroad bridge in Montgomery County, Kansas is destroyed after a fire Wednesday afternoon.
Montgomery County issued a disaster declaration Thursday for disrupted commerce after the 500-foot bridge outside of Independence was destroyed by the fire.
A disaster declaration allows for federal funding to help track repairs.
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The Director of Emergency Management for Montgomery County Rick Whitson said the first call of the fire came out around 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Around 50 to 75 yards of the trestle bridge caught fire, Whitson says.
The bridge is reportedly a part of the SKOL Railroad; also known as the Southern Kansas and Railroad. The railroad runs from areas of southern Kansas to Tulsa, , where it interchanges with other railroads like BNSF.