(The Associated Press circulated the following article on February 16.)
WAYCROSS, Ga. — A CSX freight train struck a truck that was carrying liquid propane, causing leaks that led to the evacuation of more than 50 homes.
The collision happened Wednesday morning north of Waycross.
The truck, carrying 2,000 gallons of propane, had just crossed a railroad track.
But the driver told authorities he began experiencing a mechanical problem that caused the truck to roll back onto the tracks, Georgia State Patrol Cpl. Chris Black said.
The truck driver and members of the train crew were not injured in the incident, Ware County Fire Chief Jimmy Brown said.
Hazardous materials experts found three small leaks in the tank and the valves that prompted emergency workers to withdraw more than a mile from the crash scene and to close a road, Brown said.
Officials determined that the best way to deal with the spill was to burn off the vapor and the escaping liquid propane, said Steve Kiser, public information officer for the Ware County Emergency Management Agency.
Those who were evacuated from their homes were allowed to return early Thursday morning.
CSX spokesman Gary Sease said the train was nearly 3,000 feet long and was going from Jacksonville, Fla., to Atlanta.