(The following story by Mark Schlachtenhaufen appeared on The Edmond Sun website on August 25.)
LUTHER, Okla. — Hazardous material crews and environmental specialists Monday assessed damage and cleaned up after Friday’s train derailment near Luther, a railroad company spokesman said.
It is now believed that 13 cars, an increase in the number given previously, from a 110-car Burlington Northern Santa Fe train moving at a speed of about 20 mph derailed for an as-of-yet unknown reason, said Joe Faust, BNSF spokesman.
The cars derailed just north of Luther in the area of East Covell Road and Dobbs. Monday afternoon, workers were seen on both sides of the tracks, where derailed cars remained. Nearby, numerous sets of train wheels were about to be hauled away on semi-trucks.
Nearby roads were closed to through traffic.
Some of the cars that derailed contained crude oil, others methanol, fuels that contributed to a massive explosion and flames that kept firefighters at bay.
Units from the Edmond Fire Department along with the Luther Fire Department and other area city and state agencies responded to the call for help, which went out just before 3 p.m. on Friday.
Faust said later on a decision was made in cooperation with the EFD to let the BNSF have decision-making authority at the scene.
“Our Hazmat teams decided to let the fire burn itself out,” Faust said.
Saturday morning a few small fires that remained were treated with fire-suppressing foam, Faust said. BNSF strategically positions supplies of the foam at various points around this region for circumstances just like the Luther derailment, Faust said.
Part of the cleanup will involve reclaiming the land along the track due to the crude oil and methanol spilled, Faust said. Stillwater Central Railroad, which has offices in Oklahoma City, owns the track, operated by the state of Oklahoma.
Faust said during the cleanup BNSF would be in support of Stillwater Central Railroad’s efforts. Calls to Stillwater Central Railroad were not returned by press time on Monday.
Faust said the time to complete the cleanup work should be about 48 hours. Some of the cars along the right-of-way may remain there for some time, until a decision is made about what to do with them, he said.
Faust said it was not known how many cars were damaged by the fire. The cars are owned by customers and transported by BNSF, he said.