CSX train derails in West Virginia

A train carrying crude oil down a CSX rail line in West Virginia derailed near Mount Carbon on Monday, burning well into Wednesday.

The 109 car train, which was carrying more than 3 million gallons of fuel from North Dakota’s shale fields, ran off the tracks during a snowstorm, carrying 19 tanker cars with it. Though only one smoke inhalation injury was reported by a man whose house was destroyed by the resultant fire, hundreds of families were evacuated from nearby residential areas.

Most of the tanks must out before fire crews could move within a safe distance of the crash site and make any real progress. The containers were CPC 1232 model tanks, reputed to be safer than older DOT-111 models but still subject to accidents.

The accident has set many Rockland first responders on edge due to the presence of a CSX rail line in Haverstraw, Clarkstown, and Orangetown which carries similar cargo in the same model cars. To educate first responders on such incidents Tim Pellerin of the Rangeley Fire and Rescue Department in Maine will host a seminar on February 28, during which he will discuss his involvement in the cleanup of a similar accident in Lac-Megantic, Quebec.