(The following article by Steve Moore was posted on the Press-Enterprise website on April 4.)
PENINSULA, Calif. — A Union Pacific train headed from the Midwest to Los Angeles derailed Tuesday in the Riverside County desert north of the Salton Sea along Highway 111, spilling concrete sealant and blue-cheese dressing.
The cause of the derailment was under investigation by railroad officials who came to the scene after the 4 p.m. derailment, which closed Highway 111. In all, 28 cars derailed, with 14 overturned.
Art Benson, 71, who lives on Palm Island Drive, less than a quarter-mile from the derailment, said he was watching the news when he felt the house shake.
“I heard my windows rattle, more like an explosion,” he said.
Benson said he saw at least three cars tipped over at an angle.
There were no injuries to the three crewmembers on the train, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Battalion Chief Jorge Rodriguez said. One firefighter was taken to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio after suffering from heat exposure.
Spills of sealant, blue-cheese dressing and other food products made it into a canal about one mile from the Salton Sea, said Robert Becker, a fire-apparatus engineer and hazardous-materials specialist. However, there also was no immediate threat to the Salton Sea, officials said.
The train’s cargo included 4,500 gallons of paint thinner.
No paint thinner escaped its hazardous-materials car, Becker said. The car carrying the thinner remained upright.
Emergency crews with the Riverside County sheriff’s and fire departments, utility companies and Union Pacific Railroad were on hand Tuesday night.
Hazardous-materials crews had dammed the canal and were cleaning the blue cheese and concrete sealant spills, Becker said.
Highway 111 was likely to reopen late Tuesday night, California Highway Patrol records showed. In the meantime, detours led motorists onto nearby roads though this agricultural area.
The train carried a variety of cargo and was headed to Los Angeles from Dupo, Ill., south of St. Louis, said Joe Arbona, spokesman with Union Pacific.
The company will investigate the cause, Arbona said, adding that it’s too early to tell what the effect will be on rail traffic but it could take a few days or weeks to clean up the area.