(The following article was posted on the CarolinaChannel.com website on September 24.)
PACOLET, S.C. — Hazmat teams are working to contain 3,000 gallons of diesel fuel after a train derailment in Spartanburg County Friday morning.
Norfolk Southern officials said the train was hauling new BMW vehicles when it hit a car in the town of Pacolet just after 6:15 a.m., forcing more than a dozen railcars off the tracks in the center of town.
Initial reports indicated that 30 to 40 cars derailed, but Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ron Gahagan puts the number at closer to 15.
The fuel spilled from two derailed locomotives, which briefly caught fire after the accident. The Department of Health and Environmental Control is assisting with containment and cleanup.
One person, believed to be in the car struck by the train, was transported to a hospital with unspecified injuries.
West Main Street in Pacolet is blocked due to the accident.