Fire Closes Section of Metropolitan Branch Trail in NoMa

(Updated at 4:10 p.m.) A fire over the weekend is keeping bicyclists and runners off a portion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail.

The stretch of the trail between L and M streets NE, in NoMa, remains closed today as the District Department of Transportation works to repair or replace a staircase on L Street that caught fire, DDOT spokeswoman Michelle Phipps-Evans said.

D.C. fire department spokesman Timothy Wilson said today the cause of the blaze is still unknown. Firefighters responded to the fire about 11 p.m. Saturday.

Yellow caution tape blocked access to the stairs, which were charred at the top, on Tuesday morning. Part of the stairway was missing, and a pile of burnt wood laid on the trail near L Street.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the section of the trail will reopen. In the meantime, DDOT is advising bicyclists and runners who normally would use the staircase to enter or leave the trail using the M Street ramp.

The 8-mile trail runs from Union Station to Silver Spring.