http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-lynchburg-virginia-train-derailment-20140430,0,4007820.story
[Looks like a replay from Lac Megantic, though fortunately no one died
this time. The on-line article includes a video and images.]
http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-lynchburg-virginia-train-derailment-20140430,0,4007820.story#ixzz30T6ymZiJ
Oil tanker train derails in Lynchburg, Va., triggering fire and spill
Paresh Dave
April 30, 2014, 3:21 p.m.
About 15 train tanker cars carrying crude oil derailed Wednesday
afternoon in Lynchburg, Va., plunging several of them into the James
River, sparking a massive fire and spilling oil.
The derailment prompted evacuations in the downtown district near the
railway for hours until the massive fire that spewed black, acrid smoke
was extinguished. There were no reports of injuries or damage to nearby
buildings.
Downstream more than 100 miles, a spokeswoman for the city of Richmond
said utility officials stopped capturing water from the river as a
precaution until the extent of environmental damage caused by the oil
spill became clear. Instead, Richmond is relying on a backup canal for
water. Lynchburg said the oil spill did not affect its water supply.
CSX Transportation, which operated the Chicago-to-Virginia freight
train, said the fire erupted from three punctured cars after the 2:30
p.m. derailment. In a statement, the company said it was sending safety
and environmental experts to the scene.
“We are committed to fully supporting the emergency responders and other
agencies, meeting the needs of the community and protecting the
environment,” the rail company said.
Lynchburg spokeswoman JoAnn Martin told the Los Angeles Times that
firefighters were “keeping an eye” on the train cars to make sure they
didn't spark up again as night fell.
Wednesday’s fire is the latest in a series involving trains carrying
crude oil as the nation’s drilling boom fuels a surge in oil
transportation. Fearful of seeing similar accidents in their own
jurisdictions, some officials have called for tougher safety regulations
for freight train operators.
Pat Calvert, who monitors the James River's ecology for the nonprofit
James River Assn., said he received reports that “blobs of black glue”
had been seen floating in the river after the derailment. The river has
been surging after recent heavy rainfall, stoking concerns that the
spill would quickly spread.
“We’ve had train derailments on the river before, but it’s never before
been a toxic substance,” Calvert told The Times as he drove to the
scene. His office is about 150 yards away from the site, but he was in a
meeting in Charlottesville on Wednesday afternoon.
“I hope a real national discussion will ensue so this doesn’t happen to
anyone else’s river or community,” he said. “ I just wish it wasn’t
happening in our river.”
Calvert said the area near the derailment had undergone a renaissance in
recent years, switching from a heavily industrial area to a residential
and commercial neighborhood that has embraced the riverfront.
“A great deal of effort has been put into making it into an asset,” he
said. The river stretches 350 miles, with the freight rail line along
its bank most of the way, Calvert said.
He and other critics of existing safety standards for rail cars worry
that similar accidents could happen along riverways or even more densely
populated areas such as Richmond.
On Wednesday, Philip Wilmarth felt the heat from the fire on the sixth
floor of a building a couple of hundred yards away. He told The Times
that he didn’t hear an explosion, but he saw at least a few train cars
off the tracks.
“The train had completely come off the tracks, and the fireball, it’s
very large,” Wilmarth said. “They evacuated us out pretty quickly. My
guess is something ruptured in the tanks, and they got sparks from cars
hitting together.”
He said he couldn’t see the end of the train, but all of the cars he saw
were exactly the same – black cylinders.
While he waited on the street before being told to leave the area, other
witnesses told Wilmarth that the explosion had blown the windows off
Depot Grille restaurant.
One witness told WSET-TV that the train was traveling along as usual
when the earth appeared to collapse beneath it, suggesting a possible
sinkhole after heavy rains in recent days.
Other people in the downtown district said they heard a roar, like a jet
passing by.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said he sent state-level emergency
responders to the scene of the derailment.
“Deputy Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security Adam Thiel has
been dispatched to the scene and will provide my team and me with
constant updates as this situation unfolds,” the governor said in a
statement. “I have also spoken with Lynchburg Mayor Michael Gillette and
offered him any and all resources he needs to respond to this incident
and keep Virginians safe.”
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad
Administration were expected to investigate the derailment.
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