UPDATE: Maine Forest Service, DEP, firefighters respond to train derailment in Western Maine

Sat, 04/15/2023 - 7:00pm
    From the Maine Forms Service, Sunday, April 15:
     
    Following yesterday’s derailment of a Canadian Pacific freight train in Sandwich Academy Grant Township in Somerset County, Canadian Pacific is leading a salvage, clean up, and rail repair operation in partnership with the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry's Maine Forest Service, the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and the Jackman-Moose River Fire & Rescue Department.
     
    This effort involves removing the derailed locomotives and rail cars, cleaning up debris from the accident, and repairing the rail line. There is no estimate at this time for how long this effort will take. Officials continue to ask that people avoid the area while work remains ongoing.
     
    The fires stemming from the derailment have burned out, and officials report that the derailment poses no threat to public safety. The rail cars transporting hazardous substances were removed from the scene last night.
     
    The three railroad employees who sustained non-life-threatening injuries were treated and released from the hospital. No further injuries were reported.
     
    The Maine Forest Service extends its gratitude to the Jackman-Moose River Fire & Rescue Department, Rockwood Fire & Rescue, Orono Fire Department, Searsport Fire Department, Greenville Fire Department, Somerset County EMA, United States Border Patrol, Maine Warden Service, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and Maine Emergency Management Agency for their support.

    At approximately 8:30 a.m., April 15, a Canadian Pacific freight train derailed in Sandwich Academy Grant Township in Somerset County, between Jackman and Moosehead Lake. The Maine Forest Service, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and local emergency first responders responded. 

    Tthree locomotive engines and six rail cars carrying lumber and electrical wiring derailed into a wooded area, where they caught fire and started a small forest fire. The fires are contained and are being monitored, according to a news release from the Maine Forest Service.

    Additional rail cars transporting hazardous materials did not derail. The assessment of officials on the scene is that these hazardous materials are not at risk of leaking and are not at risk of catching fire, the release said.

    It is also the assessment of officials on the scene that there is no threat to public health or safety, though officials continue to ask that the public avoid the area. 

    Three railroad employees were sent to the hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. 

    An early assessment indicates that the derailment may have been caused by a build-up of melting ice and debris that washed out part of the railroad track.  

    The Maine Forest Service, DEP, and local emergency first responders remain on the scene, and a unified command has been established in Jackman. A Canadian Pacific operations team is also onsite and will provide more details on the status of all rail cars.  

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