EVERETT, Wash. — Firefighters and a hazardous material team closed an Everett rail yard for three hours Tuesday after 20 gallons of the explosive chemical Nonene leaked from an improperly sealed railcar, the Everett Herald reported.
A safety specialist discovered the leak about 2:30 p.m. in the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway’s Delta Yard at 15th and Chestnut streets, just south of the Snohomish River bridge on Highway 529. The car was bound from Everett to Pasco.
Nonene, which contains propylene and is used as an additive for fuels and lubricants, can ignite at just 75 degrees.
“All rail traffic was shut down during that time (in that yard),” said acting battalion chief Curt Rider. “Due to the heat today, it was cause for a little concern.”
Due to the unusually hot weather, the contents of the 30,000-gallon car expanded and began leaking a quart a minute from a valve on top of the car.
The rail line was undamaged and no one was injured. The clean up caused minimal delays to commercial traffic and no delays to passenger trains.
Burlington Northern spokesman Gus Melonas said the leak caused no environmental damage.