Union Pacific says California fire forces closure of Keddie-Portola railway line

July 27 (Reuters) - Top U.S. railroad operator Union Pacific Corp said on Tuesday that the Dixie fire in California had reached a main railway line in Plumas County, making it unsafe to run trains and forcing a temporary closure.

In an update shared with customers and seen by Reuters, the company said it had not set a time for the reopening of the railway line which runs from Keddie to Portola, adding that its engineering team was assessing track damage caused by the fire.

The Dixie fire has swarmed through California and joined with another one nearby on Saturday night, and firefighters have struggled to contain the blazes that have triggered evacuations in several communities.

Union Pacific also said the Dry Canyon Bridge, north of Redding, which had sustained "significant structural damage" due to the recent Lava Fire, is expected to open mid-August.

Separately, the largest railroad operator by market value said it was on track to restart container shipments from West Coast Ports to Chicago by Tuesday. (Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)