Thursday, April 23, 2015

LIQUEFIED PETROLEUM BNSF TRAIN DERAILMENT IN LONGVIEW, TEXAS. EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE ROADWAY AT THE CROSSING.




APRIL 22, 2015

LONGVIEW, TEXAS

UPDATE: Longview Assistant Fire Chief Curtis said residents have been allowed to return home after a voluntary evacuation following the derailment of several train cars east of downtown.

Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said the railroad crossing at E. Cotton Street could be closed until Friday because of the extensive damage to the roadway of the crossing.

“Cotton Street will be open to Gum Springs Road if you’re going east,” he said. “But if you’re heading west on Cotton Street, you will only be able to make it down to the businesses further west.”

Zackary said drivers are urged to avoid East Cotton Street between Eastman Road and the rail crossing, unless they have a business or are customers.

UPDATE: Officials hope to allow residents who live near where a train derailed last night in Longview back into their homes this morning.

"We're working on making an assessment this morning,” Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said. “We're hoping to be able to let people return to their residences by around 10 a.m.”

Zackary said the railroad crossing at East Cotton Street will be closed for up to the next two days, as work continues after Tuesday night's train derailment.

"Due to the extensive damage to the roadway of the crossing, Cotton Street will be open to Gum Springs Road if you're going east," he said. "But if you're heading west on Cotton Street you will only be able to make it down to the businesses further west."

Zackary said drivers are urged to avoid East Cotton Street between Eastman Road and the rail crossing, unless they have a business or are customers.

"That's going to be set for about the next 48 hours," he added.

As far as when the voluntary evacuation will be called off, Zackary said officials are meeting to determine the best course of action for area residents.

Zackary said he was pleased that the cleanup remains on schedule, and that no injuries to area residents were reported.

"We still have a little bit of work left to do," he said. "But it's been going well so far this morning."

A late-night train derailment near Cotton Street and Gum Springs Road prompted evacuations Tuesday night.

Longview Fire Marshal Johnny Zackary said five cars derailed from the BNSF-operated train between Cotton and Journal streets. Two other train cars were involved, but crews were able to detach and remove the unaffected cars.

“At this time there has been no detection of a leak, but we are doing an evacuation of that immediate neighborhood up to Cotton Street and the Bivens addition,” Zackary said. “Even though there is no leak ... a leak could develop. 

The product is liquefied petroleum that is in the tank car. Liquefied petroleum is a heavy gas; so, it would go low, and it could pose an explosion hazard if it were to leak.”

No one was injured in the incident, Zackary said.

Evacuated residents were directed to the Broughton Recreation Center, 801 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., where the Red Cross set up cots for temporary lodging.

Red Cross officials said they were expecting up to 100 people.

The Longview Fire Department received the call about 10:30 p.m. and quickly closed Cotton Street between Eastman Road and Mobberly Avenue.

A representative with BNSF Railway, a Fort Worth-based freight company, said crews first would work to re-rail the train cars and then try to determine what caused the incident.

“It looks like it was on a transfer track, a track that would transfer our train onto a (Union Pacific) track. The indication suggests to me that part of our train actually made it to the UP track, but it looks like it derailed at our track,” Mike Trevino said.

Trevino said his report indicated eight cars were involved, with four cars off the track but upright and four off the track on their sides.

Re-railing the cars would depend on the condition of the track, he said.
“That type of repair work can be done quickly,” he said.

The trains typically are run with a two-man crew – a conductor and an engineer.
Zackary said the department’s job was to ensure everyone was safe.

“The rail service, they have a lot of representatives already on scene. As soon as we have the area evacuated, we will make sure we get out of their way, and they will get the cars back on the rails as quickly as possible,” he said.

Source: http://www.news-journal.com