It is being reported that a runaway train carrying 180 cars derailed near Kelso, California on Monday.
Numerous law enforcement, Hazmat crews, and other agencies are responding.
According to reports, the train was screaming down the tracks at about 80mph. The crew wasn’t in the cab when the train derailed, as they had to jump out and no passengers were on board.
It was first reported in Baker heading towards Barstow, California. The train crashed and derailed in Kelso, California.
The train was carrying iron ore, officials said.
The derailment site was in the Mojave National Preserve near Kelso Depot, a historic railroad site about 160 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
The incident is under investigation by Union Pacific.
From The Los Angeles Times:
A runaway train with no passengers derailed in San Bernardino on Monday morning, catching fire, according to authorities.
The train carrying cars of iron ore — the raw material used to make steel — derailed near Kelso, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Protection District and fire department radio transmissions.
Fire engines and a hazardous materials team are responding, according to the government agency. The fire department confirmed around 11:20 a.m. that the fire was out, and that there were no injuries and no active threat to the area.
“It did derail and it is on fire. Carrying 180 cars of iron ore,” said a man on the San Bernardino County fire and rescue radio channel more than an hour earlier. Another fire employee said there was a fire “under the first locomotive.”
The department was sending water tenders to the scene to help battle the blaze caused by the derailment. But soon after the reports of fire, law enforcement at the scene confirmed there was no longer a fire and many of the fire trucks called to the scene were sent to other assignments.
The San Bernardino County Fire Protection District said it was on the scene with representatives from Union Pacific railroad company.
Union Pacific told The Times that the southbound train crashed around 8:30 a.m. Pacific time, with 55 cars and two locomotives derailing. The train was in the Mojave National Preserve, east of Barstow.
“Investigators are looking for the cause of a UP derailment of 2 locomotives and 55 iron ore-loaded railcars in the @MojaveNPS. No hazardous materials were involved; no one was injured. The San Bernardino County Fire Dept. said there was no threat to the public or environment,” Union Pacific said Monday evening.
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