Canadian Pacific train with hazardous materials derails in rural Maine
Posted April 15, 2023 3:46 pm.
Last Updated April 15, 2023 9:22 pm.
A Canadian Pacific Kansas City train carrying hazardous materials has derailed and caught fire in Rockwood, Maine, fire officials said.
Rockwood Fire and Rescue posted a photo of the derailment Saturday on its Facebook page and advised residents “to stay clear!” The department didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a photo that accompanied the Facebook post, it appears that about four rail cars derailed. A small fire can be seen, with black smoke wafting across what looks to be a snow-covered forest.
https://twitter.com/CanadianPacific/status/1647365486798327808
A spokesperson for CPKC said the derailed freight train cars were carrying lumber and wiring and that other cars carrying hazardous materials were unaffected by the derailment and the fire.
Three railroad employees suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were being treated at a nearby hospital, according to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
“An early assessment indicates that the derailment may have been caused by a build-up of melting ice and debris that washed out part of the railroad track,” according to the Maine Forest Service.
Rockwood is in the north-central part of the state in a mostly rural area. It’s near Moosehead Lake, one of the largest bodies of freshwater in the state.
The derailment is the latest one to plague the rail industry. Federal regulators and members of Congress are urging railroads to do more to prevent derailments after recent fiery wrecks involving hazardous chemicals in Ohio and Minnesota prompted evacuations.
