(The following article by Jamie Brockwell was posted on the Evening Times websites on November 30.)
MARION, Ark. — A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed train last night north of Marion, leaving a portion of Highway 77 closed today.
At approximately 10:30 p.m. last night, the Marion Fire Department responded to the tracks at the Gammon Road crossing for a derailed train.
Upon their arrival, they discovered that a tanker car labeled as carrying a hazardous material was one of the six or seven cars that overturned in the derailment.
“We had an overturned tanker car carrying anhydrous ammonia. We sent an entry team in to check for any leaks, but did not find any,” said Chief Woody Wheeless. “We sent a second team in also, just to make sure.”
According to Wheeless, the manifest said the tanker was empty, but as a precaution, because the car had previously been carrying a hazardous material, they must check to ensure that the car is empty and free of residue of the chemical.
Wheeless said that a car with residue in a hazardous materials situation has to be treated as if it was full.
“It could really have been a safety hazard for everyone involved. Had it been leaking, we might have been put into a situation where we would have had to make some evacuations,” said Wheeless.
The department remained on the scene until about 1 a.m., then turned the scene over to the railroad authorities.
A portion of Highway 77 is still closed today for railroad crews to have access to the tracks to upright the cars and repair the tracks.