TRAIN DERAILMENT EMERGENCY
A fire burns at the site of a freight train derailment Wednesday in Hyndman, Bedford County. The train, which was carrying hazardous materials, partly derailed, setting train cars and a garage on fire, prompting emergency officials to evacuate nearby residents.
HYNDMAN, Pa. — Nearly three dozen cars of a freight train carrying hazardous materials careened off the tracks early Wednesday, igniting fires in some rail cars and a garage, and forcing emergency officials to evacuate a small town. No injuries were reported. At least 32 cars on the CSX freight train derailed about 5 a.m. in Hyndman, Bedford County, about 100 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, said CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle. The train was traveling from Chicago to Selkirk, N.Y.
At least one car containing liquid petroleum gas and one containing molten sulfur leaked and caught fire, Mr. Doolittle said. A residential garage struck during the derailment also caught fire, officials said.
It was not immediately known what caused the train to run off the rails. The fire continued to burn hours after the derailment. The only confirmed structure fire was at the garage, but video from the scene seems toshow more extensive damage.
Aerial footage of the derailment shows a number of cars stacked nearly perpendicular to the tracks while others landed in a burning, zig-zag pattern in a residential area where some structures seemed crushed and others ablaze.
Bedford County 911 coordinator Harry Corley said officials
ordered everyone within a 1-mile radius to leave hours after the derailment.
The order encompassed the entire borough of Hyndman, and residents were directed to a local church for help with lodging and food.
Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf, in a phone interview from the evacuation center several miles from the derailment said some neighbors have refused to leave their homes.
“But everyone knows where they are and they’re safe at this point,” Mr. Wolf said Wednesday afternoon.
Only a few people were in the church, as most evacuees chose to go to hotels or the homes of friends or relatives, he said.
Mr. Wolf said officials were conducting air and ground studies to determine possible health effects. He said area residents have “a lot of uncertainty and everyone’s hoping for the best, praying for the best.”
Asked about the risk of a propane explosion, Mr. Wolf said, “There’s always that possibility. I think, from what I hear, the potential of that happening has diminished somewhat .”
A number of roads are closed, and some flight restrictions are in place.
Federal investigators arrived at the scene late Wednesday afternoon, but weren’t able to assess the situation because the fires were still burning.
The National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Terry Williams said he expects them to get a better sense of the scene by Thursday.
Amtrak suspended train service between Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., providing buses to take passengers between the two stations.
“CSX apologizes for the impact that this incident is having on the residents of Hyndman,” Mr. Doolittle said. Hyndman is a town of just over 800 residents near the Maryland border.
“CSX’s top priority is to work cooperatively with first responders and other officials to protect the public’s safety, and CSX personnel are on the scene assisting first responders, providing information about the contents of the train and expertise on responding to railroad incidents,” Mr. Doolittle said.