A train pulling 30 freight cars carrying huge rolls of paper derailed and caught fire Sunday evening and was partially submerged this morning in Skillikalia Bayou near U.S. 61 North and Mississippi 3.

The partial collapse of the wooden and steel structure leaves International Paper Co. without rail access to move inventory and supplies in and out of the plant on Mississippi 3.

“Business will continue, and deliveries will continue to be made,” said IP spokesman Amy Sawyer in Memphis

“We will make plans as soon as we have all the information on what happened,” she said.

She said 18-wheeler trucks have effectively been used for transporting products.

No one was injured when the westbound train ran off the track around 2:30 p.m., Warren County Sheriff Martin Pace said.

“We normally hear the train, but it was much louder than usual,” said Ann Oakes, who lives at 631 Mississippi 3, a quarter of a mile from the tracks.

As the train jumped the track, the two engines leading the load separated from the freight cars.

Workers on Vicksburg Southern Railroad, which leases the east-west short line from Kansas City Southern’s north-south line and makes runs to and from International Paper, left the derailed train Sunday afternoon with plans to return this morning, Pace said.

The fire, on the freight cars, was reported to 911 dispatch center at about 5 p.m. The cause remained under investigation at midday.

“Derailments can send up a lot of sparks,” Volunteer Fire Coordinator Kelly Worthy said.

“I would not think that this is anything malicious,” he said.

The remote location of the fire posed a problem for Warren County volunteer firefighters in getting equipment to the scene.

A portable pump was used to extinguish the fire at about 4 this morning, with about a third of the bridge demolished, Worthy said.

Skillikalia Bayou runs from the Yazoo River, past the former Redwood Post Office and behind Redwood Elementary School.

The tracks are owned by Kansas City Southern, which leases it to Watco Companies, the parent company of the Vicksburg Southern Railroad.

Officials from Vicksburg Southern Railroad were not available for comment.

International Paper operating in Warren County since 1967, employs nearly 300 people in the plant that makes linear board.