A freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire Saturday morning near Rockwood, Maine, officials said. However, none of the hazardous materials on board caught fire, according to railway officials and state authorities.
A spokesperson for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC) told CBS News in a statement that the train derailed around 8:30 a.m. ET due to a “derailment” in an area wooded countryside about 15 miles east of the town of Jackman. . Often after a heavy rain, a “track washout” occurs and carries the ballast and roadway under the track.
An “ice accumulation and melting debris” may have caused the washout, the Maine Forest Service (MFS) said in a news release.
The derailment sparked a small forest fire that was “contained,” MFS said, adding that three railroad employees were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Rockwood Fire and Rescue posted a photo of the derailment on its Facebook page Saturday and advised residents to “stay away!”
The CPKC spokesman said there were “no evacuations or threats to public safety.”
Maine Governor Janet Mills he tweeted that she had been informed of the incident and that “site officials indicate there is no threat to public health or safety.”
Rockwood Fire & Rescue
Three locomotives and six rail cars carrying lumber and electrical wiring derailed, but none of the cars carrying hazardous materials derailed, officials from both agencies said. The type of hazardous materials the train was carrying was not immediately available.
“We are coordinating with local first responders who are on scene,” CPKC said. “Our emergency response teams and hazardous materials experts have responded and are continuing to conduct a full assessment of the situation.”
Rockwood is located in the north-central part of the state in a mostly rural area. It is located near Moosehead Lake, one of the largest bodies of fresh water in the state.
The derailment is the last one that affects the rail industry. Federal regulators and members of Congress they are instant railways to do more to prevent derailments after recent wrecks dangerous chemicals in Ohio and Minnesota prompted evacuations.
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