(The Associated Press circulated the following on March 4.)
MECCA, Calif. — Fire officials say some 60 residents of the Southern California desert town of Mecca have been evacuated from their homes after part of a Union Pacific train derailed and two of its tanker cars caught fire, sending a cloud of acid fumes into the night sky.
Authorities said no one has been hurt in the incident, which was reported at 9:29 p.m. Monday.
Riverside County Fire Capt. Julie Hutchinson said a one-mile radius has been set up around the accident site and no one is being let inside because of the potentially hazardous fumes.
She said emergency crews are formulating an action plan but plan to stay clear until daylight.
The derailment is next to Highway 111, which has been shut down for a seven-mile stretch south of State Road 195.