(The following story appeared on the Rocky Mount Telegram website on July 21.)
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — A seven-block area of south Rocky Mount was closed off and later evacuated Monday after a box car and propane tanker car derailed at the CSX train yard.
CSX officials said they weren’t sure what caused the accident, which occurred at about 3:15 p.m. at the train yard located between Church Street and Arlington Street Extension.
“It was part of a normal switching operation,” said CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan. “There were no leaks and no injuries of any sort.”
Area fire and police responded to the scene, closing Sutton Road to traffic on both sides of the train yard and keeping a wary eye on the overturned train cars.
Officials called for a precautionary evacuation of the surrounding area, setting up a temporary shelter for area residents at South Rocky Mount Baptist Church, said James Mercer, director of Edgecombe County Emergency Services. About 25 people were evacuated from their residences, he said, but only one man sought shelter at the church.
“We wanted to take every precautionary measure that we can,” Mercer said. “We like to err on the side of safety.”
CSX work crews were able to hoist the empty box car back onto the tracks by about 9:30 p.m. and were poised to right the 30,000-gallon tanker car just before 11 p.m., authorities said.
“There was no visible serious damage to the tanker,” Mercer said.