LEAK CONTAINED
Workers hope to remove rail cars this weekend
The biggest concern one day after a Union Pacific train derailed and caught fire on a bridge over Tempe Town Lake was the hazardous materials leak from one of the rail cars, Tempe Fire Medical Chief Greg Ruiz said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Two of the three rail cars that fell to the ground under the bridge contained cyclohexanone, a colorless industrial chemical that is used as a solvent in metal degreasing. One of the cars was leaking into a dry area but the leak was stopped and after crews uprighted the car, officials said.
“It did take us some time to not only control that leak but we have worked on containment,” Ruiz said. “The leak was contained early Wednesday night.
There was approximately ... 500 gallons that leaked from the tank car.” The tanks carry 25,000 to 30,000 gallons.
Ruiz said two derailed tank cars that were on the bridge and contained hazardous materials were placed back on the rails, moved successfully to the north side of the lake “and are no longer on the track and no longer a concern,” he said.
The next step is to upright the remaining tank cars on the south side that are also involved in the bridge collapse and remove the liquids or materials from damaged containers so they can be transported from the scene safely, Ruiz said.
Ruiz said their goal was to get the cars out of the city of Tempe by Sunday, but it could be a while because of the rebuilding phase.
Union Pacific intends to fix bridge
“We want to apologize to the community for the impacts,” said Union Pacific spokesperson Lupe Valdez, especially the light rail community.
A 102-car Union Pacific freight train derailed Wednesday morning while crossing the Salt River Union Pacific Bridge, causing a massive fire of eight to 10 cars and partial collapse of the more than 100-year old bridge. Fire officials said no one was injured by the flames, but one person was treated for smoke inhalation.
No tank cars were exposed to the fire on the bridge, according to Valdez.
The cause of the derailment is still under investigation, and Union Pacific is working with state and federal authorities, Valdez said.
“Our intention is to fix this bridge,” she said. “It’s a part of our infrastructure. It’s important to the Phoenix area.”
Valdez declined to comment on the customers most affected by the train derailment.
Police: ‘Nothing to suggest that this is criminal’
Tempe police Chief Sylvia Moir said her department’s primary responsibility was to provide public safety to allow the firefighters to do their jobs safely.
“At this time there is nothing to suggest that this is anything but a structural derailment,” Moir said. “There is nothing to suggest that this is criminal.”
On June 26, Valdez said about 10 to 12 Union Pacific rail cars derailed on the same bridge.
“Rail and bridge ties were damaged, the line was repaired and reopened on June 28,” she said. “The bridge also was inspected on July 9, and those inspection documents are being handed to federal authorities involved in the investigation.”
Valdez was asked at the news conference if the railway bridge passed the July 9 inspection.
“It’s not about whether it passed,” Valdez said. It was an annual inspection that takes place on all their railway bridges, she responded. “It was found in good standing.”
Once investigations are complete, Valdez said they will be able to assess the bridge for repairs.
Environmental impact to be investigated
Andrea Glass, a spokesperson for Tempe Fire and Medical, said that they put a foam over the spilled hazardous material to trap the vapors so that they wouldn’t “flash” in the summer tripledigit heat.
Glass said the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality was taking over environmental investigation.
“Those results will take some time to get back to determine the impacts on the environment as a whole, but they are and will continue to work on those efforts to mediate any type of impact on the environment,” Glass said.
“We ask for your patience as we proceed,” Glass said. “There’s a lot of unanswered questions right now.”
Officials are asking the public to stay out of the area until further notice.
All road closures are still in effect, according to the statement.
Tempe Town Lake and Tempe Beach Park remained closed Thursday due to the derailment, according to a City of Tempe tweet at about 8 a.m.
Light rail and bus detours in effect Thursday can be found on Valley Metro’s website.
At 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Valley Metro tweeted that Tempe Town Lake bridge was opening to normal travel and the Mill Avenue and 3rd Street station would be open for service.
The investigation and clean-up processes are being conducted by multiple agencies such as the City of Tempe fire and police, Phoenix fire, Arizona Department of Public Safety, Arizona Department of Transportation and others.