San Bernardino County Fire assists after train with hazardous materials derails in Arizona

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press
·1 min read
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San Bernardino County Fire responded after a BNSF freight train, carrying hazardous materials, derailed on Wednesday near the California and Arizona border.
San Bernardino County Fire responded after a BNSF freight train, carrying hazardous materials, derailed on Wednesday near the California and Arizona border.

A freight train, carrying hazardous materials, derailed on Wednesday night near the California and Arizona border, according to San Bernardino County Fire.

The derailment was reported after 8 p.m. near Exit 9 along Interstate 40 in Arizona, according to Mohave County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Anita Mortenson.

Weather conditions and flooding made it difficult for responding agencies to make it to the scene, said Mortensen, who confirmed that hazardous materials on board did not spill.

Mortensen said the incident happened where the railroad tracks ran parallel to I-40. Much of the track follows Old Route 66, from Arizona and passes through California locations such as Barstow, Victorville, Hesperia and the Cajon Pass.

Authorities did not indicate the cause of the derailment, the direction the BNSF Railway train was traveling, the number of cars involved, or the type of material being carried.

During the incident, heavy rain and hail were reported in the area, which earlier was under a tornado warning, according to the National Weather Service.

A Classic Air Medical helicopter was flown in due to vehicles being unable to get through the flooded wash near the railroad tracks, Mohave Valley Daily News reported.

It is unknown if anyone was injured. The investigation will be handled by BNSF Railway and the National Transportation Safety Board, Mortensen said.

In early February, a train operated by Norfolk Southern that was carrying toxic chemicals derailed in eastern Ohio, igniting a fire that covered the town of East Palestine in smoke, the New York Times reported. The Ohio derailment set off evacuation orders, school and road closures, and a national conversation about railroad safety.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at 760-951-6227 or RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on Twitter @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: SBC Fire assists after train carrying hazardous materials derails