(The following story by Chris Paschenko appeared on The Galveston County Daily News website on August 3, 2009.)
TEXAS CITY, Texas — Four tankers containing hazardous chemicals derailed Monday in Texas City, but no chemical releases or injuries were reported, officials said.
Placards on at least one of the leaning tankers near state highways 3 and 146 listed the contents as methylamine anhydrous, a highly flammable solution that can produce a poisonous gas when burned.
Crews responded shortly after 2 p.m. to a Union Pacific transfer yard but declared the incident was no threat to the public, said Texas City Homeland Security Coordinator Bruce Clawson. Roads near the derailment remained open.
“We had four tank cars that derailed upright,” Raquel Espinoza-Williams, a spokeswoman for Union Pacific, said. The four cars were among a line of 13 tankers.
Two cars were returned to rails by 5 p.m., and crews using a crane were expected to have the remaining two back on the tracks by 6 p.m., Espinoza-Williams said.
It was unclear what company owned the product. The derailment wasn’t on a mainline, and rail traffic was not affected, Espinoza-Williams said.