Canadian police have opened an investigation into the cause of a fire that destroyed a railway bridge near the Alberta town of Mayerthorpe on Tuesday, April 26.

'Suspicious' fire destroys Canadian National Rail bridge

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Daksha Rangan

Digital Reporter

Wednesday, April 27, 2016, 9:54 AM - The RCMP are investigating the cause of a violent fire that destroyed a CN Rail trestle bridge in Mayerthorpe, Alberta.

Fire crews contained the blaze Tuesday evening and continue to maintain and monitor the site Wednesday morning, Alberta Emergency Alert notes.

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Nearby schools and a trailer park with 38 mobile homes were evacuated as a precaution for changing wind directions, which could've caused the fire to blow toward the Town of Mayerthorpe, roughly 120 km from Edmonton.

Facebook page My Mayerthorpe published photos of the fire Tuesday evening after the trestle completely collapsed.

A 15-metre fire perimeter was established around the trestle site.

"It is suspicious in nature," Mayerthorpe fire chief Randy Schroeder told CBC News. "There were some witnesses that indicated people were in the area at the time of the fire."

Up to 17 fires were in the area over the past week and all remain under investigation, Schroeder told CBC. The fire was reported to have begun on the ground near the trestle.

Mayerthorpe's fire department and CN rail employees received the call at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. There were no injuries.

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SOURCE: Alberta Emergency Alert | My Mayerthorpe, Facebook