(The following story by Jennifer Leahy appeared on the Houston Chronicle website on July 3.)
HOUSTON — A number of West University Place residents were evacuated from their homes in the 5600 block of Community Drive after a train derailed Monday evening.
No injuries were reported.
The 62-car Union Pacific train was traveling east from West Colton train yard in California to Houston when it derailed about 7 p.m.
Seven cars — six carrying wheat and one carrying lumber — fell from the tracks.
Residents were evacuated for “several hours” as a “precaution,” said Union Pacific spokesman Joe L. Arbona.
Several cars near the rear of the train, all of which remained on the tracks, had carried hazardous materials but were empty at the time of the accident.
Arbona cited three possible causes for the derailment — a problem with the track, a mechanical problem with a rail car or human error.
“We will be examining the train itself and also looking at the ‘event recorder,’ which is similar to a black box on a plane,” Arbona said.
Chad Burgess, 21, was standing in his kitchen at the time of the derailment.
“I had been working all day and had just poured myself a glass of water when the kitchen started to shake. I looked outside and saw the train coming through my backyard,” he said, adding that it was stopped by his neighbor’s tree.
Wheat seeds — as deep as 4 feet — spilled from a rail car and piled up into his backyard.
“It was crazy,” he said.
Burgess grabbed his dog, George, just before he left his house. Hundreds of other neighborhood residents took to the streets Monday night, many also walking dogs and watching as crews worked to secure the scene and remove the four rail cars that flipped onto their sides. Children played football in the streets, enjoying the light from numerous emergency vehicles.
“We appreciate the patience of the residents and want to be sure that we take care of the residents and bring back normalcy,” Arbona said.
The train and track are owned by Union Pacific and the operators involved are Union Pacific employees.