In northern Colorado, the locomotive of a cargo train derailed early Wednesday, causing the spillage of hundreds of gallons of diesel fuel, according to authorities.
The incident occurred just before 1 a.m. when the Great Western Railway locomotive veered off the tracks at a switch. Although the locomotive did not overturn, a fuel tank was breached, resulting in the spillage of diesel fuel, as reported by the Loveland Fire Rescue Authority on Facebook. Fortunately, the spill was contained, preventing any contamination of nearby waterways.
Battalion Chief Kevin Hessler confirmed that there were no injuries in the derailment, which took place close to a sugar factory and residential areas.
While one locomotive and three cars transporting sugar remained unaffected, the derailed locomotive necessitated a cleanup operation.
Julie Slagle, a spokesperson for OmniTrax, the parent company of Great Western, stated that a natural berm aided in containing the spilled fuel. A hazardous materials contractor was enlisted to manage the cleanup process. Before resuming operations, the railway intends to conduct a thorough inspection of the tracks.
This incident follows a previous derailment on January 30, when an Amtrak train collided with a milk-carrying truck at a rail crossing in northeastern Colorado. The collision resulted in severe injuries to the train’s engineer and sent three passengers to the hospital.