() — A CSX freight train derailed Wednesday morning after hitting a rockfall in a remote area of West Virginia, injuring three crew members and spilling diesel fuel into a nearby river, according to a news release. of the company.
The three crew members were on the locomotive, which caught fire after the derailment, and are being treated for non-life-threatening injuries, CSX said. Two were airlifted and the third was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, an operator with the Summers County Office of Emergency Management told .
Diesel fuel and oil spilled in the New River, and containment measures will be put in place, CSX said. The company also noted that the coal train was empty and was not carrying hazardous materials. CSX spokeswoman Sheriee Bowman told that 22 empty train cars derailed.
A CSX freight train derailed and caught fire Wednesday in a remote area near Sandstone, West Virginia. (Credit: WVVA)
“The incident did not pose any danger to the public,” the CSX statement said.
The derailment comes about a month after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire near East Palestine, Ohio, releasing potentially hazardous chemicals into the air and water. The incident prompted bipartisan political efforts to prevent future incidents.
The Federal Railroad Administration says it is actively monitoring the derailment and said the fire has been extinguished. Management said the derailment occurred on an Amtrak route, so residual delays can be expected.
At least one locomotive and a fuel tank fell into the New River, the West Virginia Division of Emergency Management said. The division said the derailment occurred in a remote area south of Sandstone within New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, which in 2021 became the United States’ 63rd national park.
Sam Richmond posted photos on Facebook of the accident that he took from a cliff above the scene. The photos show the train on fire and an overturned carriage resting in the New River.
Fuel and oil from the derailed train spilled in the New River on Wednesday, CSX said. sam richmond
Flames engulf a CSX train after it derailed Wednesday morning. sam richmond
CSX owns 12 feet (3.6 meters) from the middle of the railroad on each side and is responsible for the cleanup, the division said, praising the initial efforts of the company and first responders.
“I would like to commend the response agencies and CSX for their quick and efficient response,” said Steve Lipscomb, Summers County emergency manager. “All agencies worked as a team to provide immediate medical assistance and transportation to the injured.”
There are no roads closed and there have been no evacuations from nearby homes, the division said.
Deputy Chief Tim Adkins of the Summers County Sheriff’s Department said they received a call around 5 a.m. Wednesday about the derailment on a “fairly remote stretch of railroad.” There was “extensive damage” to the train, but not to outside property and no roadblocks, he said.
‘s Ross Levitt, Michelle Watson and Nicki Brown contributed to this report.
