Evacuations ordered as train derails, burns near Custer
The Bellingham Herald 12/22/2020 Denver Pratt, The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)
Dec. 22 A train has derailed and caught fire in the Custer area and residents and visitors within a half-mile were being evacuated, according to Whatcom County Public Works, the Whatcom County Sheriff s Office and Washington State Patrol.
The train, carrying crude oil, derailed around 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22, in the Custer area, according to Courtney Wallace, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesperson. It is a BNSF train and track, Wallace said.
The train derailed near the 7500 block of Portal Way, according to the Whatcom County Sheriff s Office on Twitter. The sheriff s office is working on evacuating people within a half-mile of the derailment, the agency said.
Evacuations ordered near Custer after train derails, spills crude oil kxly.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kxly.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Two people were on board the train that was headed to a Phillips 66 refinery.
Dec 23rd, 2020
A firefighter sprays foam on a burning, derailed train car Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, in Custer, Wash. Officials say seven train cars carrying crude oil derailed and five caught fire north of Seattle and close to the Canadian border. Whatcom County officials said the derailment occurred in the downtown Custer area, where streets were closed and evacuations ordered during a large fire response.
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) Seven train cars carrying crude oil derailed Tuesday and five caught fire, sending a large black plume of smoke into the sky north of Seattle close to the Canadian border, authorities said.
Train carrying crude oil derails, catches fire in Whatcom County
(Image from WSDOT cameras)
Residents in Custer, Washington were asked to evacuate the area after a train carrying crude oil derailed around lunchtime on Tuesday.
Seven cars derailed in the 7500 block of Portal Way at 11:46 a.m. and a fire started in two of the derailed cars, according to BNSF. The fire is under control and the 3/4 mile evacuation was lifted about six hours later. See a map here.
Courtney Wallace, public information for BNSF, said the cause is under investigation.
Wallace said the train was about 108 cars long and was traveling northbound to the Phillips 66 Refinery in Ferndale. She did not know the origin on Tuesday. Two people were on board.
To improve the performance of our website, show the most relevant news products and targeted advertising, we collect technical impersonal information about you, including through the tools of our partners. You can find a detailed description of how we use your data in our Privacy Policy. For a detailed description of the technologies, please see the Cookie and Automatic Logging Policy.
By clicking on the Accept & Close button, you provide your explicit consent to the processing of your data to achieve the above goal.
You can withdraw your consent using the method specified in the Privacy Policy.
Accept & Close
Sputnik International