A fire broke out in railcars on the Union Pacific line on Sept. 1. Photo courtesy of Sutter County Office of Emergency Management

MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) - A fire that broke out in railcars traveling on the Union Pacific line near Marysville on Sunday, Sept. 1 caused serious concern in officials due to their potentially hazardous cargo.

The two cars that seemed to be the source of the fire were reportedly carrying lithium batteries.

The fire elicited multi-jurisdictional responses from Sutter County Office of Emergency Services, Sutter County Fire Department and Yuba City Fire Departments.

Sutter County Office of Emergency Management stated in an online post Sept. 2, that coordinated efforts between these agencies served to protect residents in the surrounding areas and the danger was mitigated.

“Union Pacific Railroad has taken over the management of the situation and will address any ongoing issues throughout the day.” States Sutter County Office of Emergency Services in the post. It continues, “Initially, there were concerns about potentially hazardous materials, including lithium-ion batteries. However, after reviewing the manifest, it was confirmed that while small quantities of hazardous materials were on board, there was nothing of significant concern. The only items of note were a small number of vehicle batteries, which the responding teams quickly and effectively mitigated.”

The fire shut down Live Oak Boulevard for parts of the day as officials and emergency responders urged the public to avoid the area.