A BNSF freight train that derailed late Saturday night near Bakersfield, California, continued to burn Sunday as firefighters worked to put out flames caused by plastic pellets, CNN reported.
Thick black smoke filled the air of Keene, about 30 miles east of Bakersfield, causing the evacuations of at least six homes in the rural town, BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said.
No serious injuries were reported. The train's conductor and engineer were the only people aboard the train, Kent said.
The train started its trip in Barstow and was destined for Stockton. It derailed around 9:30 p.m. PT Saturday, Kent said.
The derailment happened when two of the long freight train's cars came off the track near a tunnel entrance, she said.
"The train was carrying freight of all kinds," Kent said. "Unfortunately there was one car of denatured alcohol that burned for a while but is now out, and then there was [a] car of cornmeal, a car of corn syrup and a car of plastic pellets. As we speak, that car is being sprayed down with foam to suppress the fire."
To contain the fire, railroad crews and fire department personnel worked Sunday to remove two of the cars. However, the fire remained burning inside the tunnel.
Firefighters hoped to have the fire out by midnight Sunday, according to the Kern County Fire Department.
The track is owned by Union Pacific, according to spokesman Aaron Hunt.
An evacuation center had been set up by firefighters at a local high school but was closed after no residents showed up, Kent said.
Calls seeking comment from the California Environmental Protection Agency about the air quality in Keene were not immediately returned.
(The preceding report by Nick Valencia appeared on the Web site www.cnn.com on February 21, 2010.)
KEENE, Calif. - A train carrying alcohol derailed near Keene around 9:30 Saturday night and exploded into flames creating a toxic gas cloud, the KBAK Web site reports.
The train, operated by Burlington Northern Santa Fe, was carrying an unspecified alcohol when it derailed in a mountainous area approximately 35 miles east of Bakersfield.
The smoke created by the alcohol-fueled flames was characterized by fire officials as toxic.
Seven homes close to this area were evacuated, said Sean Collins with the Kern County Fire Department. We do have a toxic cloud that is dissipating right now but it is unlikely that this will effect anybody other than those in the immediate area.
Officials say it was because of this toxic gas cloud, as well as its remote location, that fire fighters decided to try and let this fire burn itself.
But then Sunday, the fire that burned overnight caused a second cargo car to burst into flame.
Instead of alcohol, this time plastic pellets caught fire and fire fighters took a different approach to battling the flames.
They decided to make an attack on the cars that were involved in flames, said Justin Corley, an engineer with the Kern County Fire Department. We have a large backhoe that we are using to rip apart the cars to effectively extinguish the fires that way.
On Saturday the evacuation area included a one-mile radius and seven homes were evacuated.
Sunday, the radius was expanded to two miles but additional families effected were just asked to stay inside to avoid the smoke and fumes.
Despite the toxic gas and massive flames no injuries were reported.
(This item was posted on the KBAK Web site Feb. 22, 2010.)
