https://www.armytimes.com/news/your...s-near-nevada-utah-line-no-injuries-reported/
Train carrying munitions derails near Nevada-Utah line; no injuries reported
By: The Associated Press 4 days ago
In this photo provided by Michael Lyday shows a train derailment and potential hazardous materials spill east of Wells, Nev., Wednesday, June 19, 2019. (Michael Lyday via AP)
WELLS, Nev. — A train carrying military munitions derailed in the high desert of northeast Nevada on Wednesday, closing an interstate for about an hour before emergency crews determined there was no danger. No injuries were reported.
Cars carrying the munitions to a Nevada Army depot were not among those that derailed near the community of Wells not far from the Utah-Nevada state line, officials said.
Nine flat cars, two tankers and three box cars on the 22-car train derailed at about 10 a.m., and a plume of white aluminum oxide was released, the Nevada Highway Patrol said. The powder was described as a mild skin irritant, but not a hazardous material.
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Destruction of chemical weapons to begin in Kentucky
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By: The Associated Press
Elko County sheriff's officials said the Union Pacific Railroad confirmed vegetable oil also spilled.
Interstate 80 was closed in both directions from about 11 a.m. to noon.
"At this time, we have no information regarding why the train derailed," Highway Patrol Trooper Jim Stewart said in a statement.
Union Pacific officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press. But UP spokesman Tim McMahan told the Elko Daily Free Press no hazardous materials were involved and no one was injured.
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The
Army depot in Hawthorne dates to 1930 and was developed as a Navy ammunition storage area because of its remoteness. It is about 125 miles (200 kilometers) southeast of Reno.
It was transferred in 1977 to the Army. It provides storage for old munitions and explosives, including some that could be reactivated, and serves as a training facility for Special Forces units.
In March 2013, it was the site of a training accident that killed seven Marines and injured eight others.
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https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/train-carrying-hazardous-material-bombs-derails-nevada-n1019456
Train carrying bombs, hazardous material derails in Nevada
“None of the cars involved in the derailment were carrying explosives," a spokesperson for the Federal Railroad Administration said.
Train carrying military weapons and grenades partially derails in Nevada
June 19, 201901:04
June 19, 2019, 7:24 PM UTC / Updated June 20, 2019, 4:02 AM UTC
By Andrew Blankstein, Minyvonne Burke and Mosheh Gains
A train carrying munitions and hazardous material derailed in Elko County, Nevada, on Wednesday morning.
The crash happened just before noon near Interstate 80 about three miles east of the city of Wells.
The Nevada Highway Patrol said the derailment involved about nine flat cars, two tankers and three box cars, but the number of cars that went off the tracks has not been confirmed. No injuries have been reported.
Rear cars thought to be carrying munitions, hand grenades, sodium nitrate and bombs stayed on the tracks, according to public safety officials in Elko.
“None of the cars involved in the derailment were carrying explosives," a spokesperson for the Federal Railroad Administration said. "FRA is investigating the incident.”
A white powdery substance was released into the air following the crash, leading to the temporary closure of I-80.
The cloud was aluminum oxide, a skin irritant that is not hazardous but needs to be washed off if it comes in contact with skin, the Highway Patrol said.
Earlier Wednesday, an Elko County Sheriff's official said a decontamination process was underway as a precaution for those who may have been exposed.
By Wednesday afternoon, the interstate had been reopened.
Justine Barati, director of public and Congressional affairs for Joint Munitions Command, said some munitions were on the train for the military, but the cars carrying those munitions did not derail and there was no threat to the community.
Union Pacific Railroad, which owns the tracks, said earlier that vegetable oil was spilled during the derailment, but a spokeswoman later said that "some aluminum oxide, which is not hazardous, and a small amount of diesel was spilled."
"Preliminary information shows the derailed cars were not carrying hazmat; however, there is hazmat and ammunition on board the train," spokeswoman Kristen South said Wednesday afternoon. "No one was hurt, and Union Pacific is working on site cleanup.”
A timeline for completion was not known at the time, and the cause of the derailment is under investigation, she said.
https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2019...ous-materials-derailed-east-wells/1501283001/
Train carrying military munitions derails in eastern Nevada; no injuries or hazardous materials released
Sam Gross, Reno Gazette Journal Published 11:02 a.m. PT June 19, 2019 | Updated 9:29 a.m. PT June 20, 2019
A train derailed near Wells, Nevada on Wednesday. It was carrying hazardous materials. Video of the derailment was captured by a Twitter user. Provided Michael Lyday , Twitter: @EliteServicesUT
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Update | Thursday, June 20 | 9:28 a.m.
An update from a Union Pacific spokesperson said the derailed train did not spill vegetable oil, as first reported by first responders.
No injuries or damage to railcars carrying military munitions in train derailment
A train carrying military munitions — including small arms munitions and hand grenades — and hazardous materials derailed near a northeastern Nevada town Wednesday morning.
Union Pacific Railroad said that the railcars carrying the munitions and hazardous materials were not among the 23 cars that came off the tracks near Wells, Nevada.
A tanker full of vegetable oil spilled its load and a car carrying aluminum oxide released some into the air. Union Pacific said some diesel fuel also spilled.
"We were very fortunate today," said Lt. Kevin McKinney of the Elko County Sheriff's Office. "Initially we were concerned for the public and everyone else that there might be hazardous materials, but luckily it turned out that nothing hazardous was released into the air or onto the ground."
There were no reported injuries and there is no hazard to the general public, McKinney said.
The Nevada Highway Patrol shut down nearby Interstate 80 for about 50 minutes after a white powdery substance was seen wafting from one of the derailed cars, which was later identified as aluminum oxide.
The Federal Railroad Administration says it is investigating the derailment. There is no word on what caused the cars to come off the tracks.
The military munitions on board were heading to the U.S. Army Depot in Hawthorne, according to the U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command in Rock Island, Illinois.
The Hawthorne Army Depot is a strategic reserve site on the west side of Nevada that stows and demilitarizes military ordnance.
The railcars carrying those munitions — reported as hand grenades and small arms ammunition by the Elko County Sheriff's Office — were at the back of the train and were unaffected. The 23 cars that derailed appeared to be near the middle of the train, according to McKinney.
First responders are currently being released from the wreck site and are being decontaminated for good measure, according to McKinney. Cleanup efforts are underway.
There is no timeline for how long the cleanup could take, according to the Union Pacific.
——
Update, 12:45 p.m.
There are no reported injuries from a train carrying military munitions that derailed Wednesday morning on the northeastern side of Nevada, according to the Elko County Sheriff's Office.
None of the 22 railcars that came off the tracks Wednesday were carrying the munitions or any other hazardous material, according to Lt. Kevin McKinney of the Elko County Sheriff's Office.
"We were very fortunate today," McKinney told the Reno Gazette Journal. "Initially we were concerned for the public and everyone else that there might be hazardous materials, but luckily it turned out that nothing hazardous was released into the air or onto the ground."
The military munitions on board the train appeared to be small arms munitions and hand grenades, according to McKinney.
The cars containing that ordnance were located at the back of the train. The 22 cars that derailed were near the middle of the train, according to McKinney.
One of the derailed cars spilled its load of vegetable oil in the accident and another released what appears to be aluminum oxide.
First responders are currently being released from the wreck site and are being decontaminated for good measure, according to McKinney. Cleanup efforts are underway.
Update, 12:20 p.m.
The Union Pacific Railroad has reported to the Elko County Sheriff's Office that a total of 22 cars were involved in the train derailment near Wells, Nevada on Wednesday morning.
It also said a shipment of vegetable oil was spilled from one of the derailed cars, according to an update posted to the sheriff's office Facebook page.
Interstate 80, which was closed due to the crash, was reopened as of 12:08 p.m.
Update, 12:17 p.m.
The Elko County Sheriff's Office says it has received reports that a powder released from some of the derailed cars is aluminum oxide, according to an update to their Facebook page.
Update, 12:09 p.m.
The munitions onboard a train that derailed near Wells, Nevada Wednesday morning were being transported to the Hawthorne Army Depot, according to the U.S. Army Joint Munitions Command.
The Hawthorne Army Depot is a strategic reserve site on the western side of Nevada that stows and demilitarizes military ordnance.
A spokesperson from the Joint Munitions Command's transportation office could not go into details about what exact munitions were inside the railcars, but stressed that the public is not in any danger at this time.
The train has a mixed cargo and was not only carrying military munitions.
The railcars carrying munitions, the spokesperson reiterated, were not included in the derailment.
Update, 11:54 a.m.
A spokesperson for the Federal Railroad Administration told the Reno Gazette Journal that the agency is investigating the incident.
The spokesperson also reiterated that none of the cars involved in the derailment were carrying explosives, but did not say if there are other hazardous materials onboard that authorities are concerned about.
Update, 11:50 a.m.
Nineteen rail cars are involved in the derailment, according to another update from the Elko County Sheriff's Office.
Containment efforts are underway and Interstate 80 is expected to reopen in about 20 minutes.
Update, 11:35 a.m.
A train carrying hazardous cargo that derailed near Wells in northeastern Nevada Wednesday morning was apparently carrying munitions, according to an updated from the Elko County Sheriff's Office.
The cars carrying the munitions were located at the opposite end of the train, away from the derailment, according to a post to the sheriff's office Facebook page.
Interstate 80 remains closed in both directions. The eastbound lanes are closed at mile marker 352 near Wells and the westbound lanes are closed at mile marker 360 near Moor.
Original story
A train carrying hazardous materials derailed along Interstate 80 east of Wells, Nevada Wednesday morning, closing the interstate in both directions.
The derailment caused the train to spill some of the hazardous material, according to the Elko County Sheriff's Office.
People are being urged to avoid the area at this time.
Video of the incident, recorded by Michael Lyday and posted to twitter, shows several train cars at the front of the train crumpled against one another and a plume of what appears to be white smoke.
Michael Lyday captured this image in a video he shot of a train derailment near Wells, Nevada on Wednesday June 19, 2019. (Photo: Provided to the RGJ by Michael Lyday)
——
Sam Gross is a breaking news reporter for the Reno Gazette Journal who covers wildfires, emergencies and more. Support his work by subscribing to RGJ.com right here.
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