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