8 replies to this topic

[CNJRoss]

CBC - British Columbia news, 12/22/20

Washington State train derailment leads to evacuation of nearby homes, businesses

 

Train cars are on fire after a derailment near Birch Bay, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office

 

An image from the Washington State Department of Transportation camera at Zell Rd. showed a plume of dark smoke rising from a train derailment on Tuesday. (Washington State Department of Transportation)

 

Train cars were on fire after a derailment near Birch Bay Wash., according to the Whatcom County Sheriff's Office, which caused a large evacuation of homes and businesses in the area.

 

The derailment also forced the closure of the I-5 highway on Tuesday afternoon.

 

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Burlington Norther Santa Fe said in a tweet that the train involved was carrying crude oil and that three to five tanks cars derailed just before noon on Tuesday.

More here.

[CNJRoss]

NTSB 'Tweet' 12/22/20

 

NTSB_Newsroom  @NTSB_Newsroom

 

The NTSB is investigating the derailment Tuesday involving eight tank cars from a BNSF crude-oil train in Whatcom County, Washington, with a focus on tank-car performance. The NTSB is not traveling to the scene at this time.

 

 

[KevinKorell]

This area is in the northernmost section of Washington, between Bellingham and Blaine (which is on the Canadian border).  If the Amtrak Cascades to/from Vancouver, BC were running, they would have been affected by this as well.

[CNJRoss]

AP, 12/23/20
 

Federal officials investigate fiery oil train derailment

 

A firefighter sprays foam on burning, derailed train cars Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, in Custer, Wash. Officials say seven train cars carrying crude oil derailed and five caught fire north of Seattle and close to the Canadian border. Whatcom County officials said the derailment occurred in the downtown Custer area, where streets were closed and evacuations ordered during a large fire response. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

 

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Federal and local authorities were investigating a fiery oil car train derailment north of Seattle near where two people were arrested last month and accused of attempting a terrorist attack on train tracks to disrupt plans for a natural gas pipeline.

 

Seven train cars carrying crude oil derailed and five caught fire Tuesday, sending a large plume of black smoke into the sky close to the Canadian border. There were no injuries in the derailment about 100 miles (161 kilometers) north of Seattle

 

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Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board along with the FBI and other federal, state and local agencies were on the scene.

 

More here.

[KevinKorell]

Northern Light, Blaine, WA, 12/30/20:

 

    Answers sought in Custer oil train derailment  

 

 

As investigations into the cause of the December 22 BNSF Railway derailment in Custer that forced business and home evacuations within a mile of the wreckage continue, crews finished clearing the toppled train cars on December 31.

 

Here is the update.

[KevinKorell]

OPB, 12/30/20:

 

    Derailed oil train cars removed after crash near Canadian border 

 

 

Crews on Tuesday removed the train cars carrying crude oil that derailed north of Bellingham and near the Canadian border last week.

 

More

[KevinKorell]

KIRO-TV, Channel 7 in Seattle, WA, 6/7/21:

 

 

   Whatcom County train derailment was ‘no accident’: retired NTSB investigator    

 

 

This oil train derailment near Custer last December was “no accident,” according to an expert on rail safety.

 

Update

[CNJRoss]

RT&S, 9/15/21

 

FRA: Proper safety checks by BNSF could have prevented December derailment

 

A BNSF train derailed back in December 2020 and three tanker cars caught on fire.

 

 

A Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) report says vandalism may have caused the derailment of a BNSF train in Custer, Wash., back in December. The FRA, however, has not cleared BNSF of any wrongdoing.

 

The report notes possible causes for the crash that resulted in 10 railcars off the track and the leakage of 29,000 gal of crude oil. Three tanker cars caught on fire.

 

According to the FRA, the train was left unattended for hours during a crew change at a stop north of Bellingham the morning of the crash. The derailment happened minutes after the stop, and the area had been prone to railroad vandalism. The FRA said BNSF should have warned crews of the recent activity and safety checks should have been performed prior to the train moving again.

 

Continue here.

[CNJRoss]

The Bellingham (WA) Herald, 9/16/21
 

Ericksen: ‘If this keeps up, it is only a matter of time before someone is hurt or killed’

 

 

A week after a federal agency blamed last year’s oil train derailment and fire north of Ferndale on safety lapses and “possible” vandalism, state Sen. Doug Ericksen is renewing his call for legislative hearings on the disaster.

 

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“Legislators need to be aware this is happening, and that the threat is real,” Ericksen said in a statement. “Activism that turns to sabotage invites tragedy.  . . ."

 

Read more here with 'audio reader' link