A UP spokesman said a train with a Canadian Pacific locomotive derailed 23 rail cars of mixed freight near mile post 291 of the Ayer Subdivision near Ritzville, Wash., the evening of March 14. Eleven cars of the train derailed in a tunnel. No injuries were reported.
UP said the derailment was caused by a rock slide. Work is under way to clear the track but there’s no estimate of when it might be reopened. In the meantime UP is rerouting trains over BNSF Railway.
The Washington Department of Ecology reported the derailment involved a spill of sodium chlorate, which caught fire as UP attempted to remove cars from the tracks.
“UP contacted the manufacturer and find out the best way to handle the problem,” a spokeswoman from the department said in a statement. “The manufacturer suggested burning it to control the fire and to stop the fire from spreading.
“UP consulted our spill responder, asking if they could use railroad ties to assist the burn. We said no, because railroad ties contain creosote, which is toxic. We said they could use untreated, clean wood to assist the fire.”
Ecology said the assisted burn was approved “as an emergency measure to suppress the fire so it could be controlled and kept from spreading, to improve the safety of the response, and to allow them to clear the tracks and tunnel. We felt the benefits outweighed the risks.”
She said the spill occurred in a remote area with no residents or water nearby.
Sodium chlorate is an oxidizing chemical used in bleaching paper and as an herbicide, among other things. The U.S. government says the chemical does not catch fire by itself, but may after contact with other materials such as wood or metal.
More information on the chemical is available online.
