Local, state, federal agencies will investigate oil train derailment in Whatcom County
The Bellingham Herald 12/24/2020 Robert Mittendorf, The Bellingham Herald (Bellingham, Wash.)
Dec. 23 An oil train fire in Custer was out as of 9:30 a.m. Wednesday morning, Dec. 23, after seven tank cars derailed Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 22, and nearby residents were evacuated.
Local, state and federal agencies were just beginning the investigation and it was too early to discuss a cause, said Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo. We ve not been able to get close enough to the site to make an evaluation, Elfo said at a press conference Monday afternoon. We want a thorough review and a thorough investigation to determine what caused the accident.
WA Town Urged to Evacuate After Train Derails, Catches Fire zerohedge.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from zerohedge.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Lisa Baumann
A firefighter sprays foam on burning, derailed train cars 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.
Image Credit: (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson) December 23, 2020 - 10:30 AM BELLINGHAM, Wash. - 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.
A Washington state Department of Transportation traffic camera captures an image of a train that derailed north of Seattle, close to the Canadian border on Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020. Authorities say it was carrying crude oil. (Washington State Department of Transportation via AP) Tuesday, December 22, 2020 8:05 PM EST By LISA BAUMANN, AP
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.
The derailment in the downtown Custer area closed nearby streets and spurred evacuation orders during a large fire response, Whatcom County officials said on Twitter. Interstate 5 was temporarily closed in the area in both directions.
Fire crews respond to the scene of a derailed train in the city of Custer, WA in Whatcom County on Tuesday, December 22, 2020. A BNSF spokesperson said seven train cars derailed and two caught fire. Credit: Washington State Department of Ecology
Train carrying crude oil derails, catches fire in Whatcom County By
at 12:56 pm
A train carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire in Whatcom County Tuesday morning, prompting officials to evacuate all nearby residents and businesses for several hours.
Reports that the train had derailed came in around 11:46 a.m., according to the Whatcom County Sheriff s Office, in the 7500 block of Portal Way in Custer, Wash., roughly 15 miles north of Bellingham along I-5.