US: Train carrying hazardous material derails in Maine due to track washout, sparks concerns

A train carrying hazardous items derailed and caught fire Saturday in a village in the northern US state of Maine, officials said adding it may have been caused due to track washout. 

The train derailed north of Rockwood, a community in Somerset County that borders Moosehead Lake, the biggest freshwater lake in the state, according to the Rockwood Fire and Rescue Department. This rural forested region is about 15 miles east of the town of Jackman.

According to a statement from a representative for Canadian Pacific Kansas City Limited (CPKC), the train derailed at around 8:30 am Eastern time of "track washout" as reports suggest this is a common phenomenon after a very strong downpour, which washes away the ballast and road beneath the track. 

Maine Forest Service (MFS) said a "build-up of melting ice and debris" may have been the cause of the washout.

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Three train workers were brought to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries after the derailment caused a small forest fire that was "contained," according to MFS.

On its Facebook page, Rockwood Fire & Rescue published a picture of the derailment on Saturday and cautioned locals to "stay clear!" There were "no evacuations and no threats to the public safety," according to the CPKC spokesperson. 

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Maine Governor Janet Mills tweeted that "officials on site indicate that there is no threat to public health or safety."

According to representatives from CPKC and MFS, no trains carrying hazardous items derailed, but three engines and six rail carriages carrying electrical wiring and lumber did. 

The information on the type of hazardous materials being carried by train is not yet ascertained. 

"We are coordinating with local first responders who are on scene," CPKC said. "Our emergency response teams and hazardous materials experts have responded and continue to conduct a full assessment of the situation."

Earlier, before the statement by MFS, Director of Somerset County Emergency Management Agency Michael Smith said that several state and local responders were "on scene" when a train derailed on Saturday in Northern Somerset County.

(With inputs from agencies)
 

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