Train with hazardous material derails near Arizona-California border; no leaks reported
March 16, 2023
A freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in western Arizona, near the states border with California and Nevada, on Wednesday evening, an official said.
The train derailed near the town of Topock, Anita Mortensen, a spokeswoman for the Mohave County Sheriffs Office said, adding that she was not aware of any spills or leaks.
The derailment occurred near Milepost 9 of Interstate 40, Mortensen said, in a rural, non-residential area about 20 miles north of Lake Havasu City.
Mortensen said she had no details about how many cars the train had or what materials it was carrying when it derailed. No injuries have been reported.
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The sheriffs office has notified the National Transportation Safety Board and the railroad company BNSF, the two entities that would be responding to the incident, Mortensen said.
Neither replied immediately to requests for comment Wednesday night.
This incident comes weeks after a freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, igniting a fire and causing hundreds of people to be evacuated. That train was on its way from Madison, Ill., to Conway, Pa.
Officials seeking to avoid an uncontrolled blast intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five rail cars, sending flames and black smoke high into the sky. That left people questioning the potential health impacts even as authorities maintained they were doing their best to protect people.
