LOS ANGELES, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A train float unexpectedly caught fire during the 130th Rose Parade on Tuesday and brought the tournament to a brief halt.
Though fire fighters put out the flames in a timely manner, the float named Harmony Through Union exited the parade due to mechanic malfunction. Authorities evacuated everyone riding the float and no one was injured.
It is the first time in nearly two decades that a float has to exit the Rose Parade due to a fire, which is the most renown celebration event on New Year's Day in the west coast consisting of flower-covered floats, marching bands, and equestrian units.
The stuck float was sponsored by Chinese American Heritage Foundation (CAHF), a non-profit organization in Boston, along with the Chinese community in Southern California, to honor Chinese labors building the U.S. First Transcontinental Railroad.
"The presence of Harmony Through Union float is to pay respect to Chinese labors for their contributions in building the First Transcontinental Railroad," Wilson Lee, the founder of CAHF, has told Xinhua earlier.
"Though the Chinese accounted for a large of number of railroad workers, they could not be found in history books and pictures," he said, adding that he founded CAHF in order to celebrate the rich history of Chinese Americans' contributions to the American spirit.
According to Lee, his ancestors came to the United States in 1865 to work on the railroad. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the completion of the 1,912-mile-long First Transcontinental Railroad.
Lee's campaign to raise the public awareness of the contributions made by the early immigrants from China also gained the support from Union Pacific Railroad.
Despite Tuesday's unlucky accident, Lee planed to take part in the 2020 Rose Parade again. He said the next float would be designed to honor the Chinese American WWII veterans.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Chinese American World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act on Dec. 20, 2018, which has been signed by President Donald Trump, to recognize the dedicated service of the over 20,000 Chinese American veterans of World War II and collectively award them the Congressional Gold Medal.
