BNSF Bakken Crude derailment
Oil train derailment near the Magnolia Bridge in Seattle. No release of crude oil or hazardous materials has resulted from the derailment.
Summary information
Seattle, WA
Status updates
July 25, 2014
All of the crude oil tank cars were righted and removed by 5 p.m. Thursday, July 24, without incident. Crude oil was transferred from the tank car with the most damage prior to removing it from the incident scene.
At the direction of Governor Inslee, Ecology is leading an effort with other agencies and stakeholders to evaluate the risk of oil transportation in Washington by conducting a Marine and Rail Oil Transportation Risk Study.
July 24, 2014
The state Department of Ecology (Ecology), Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and BNSF Railway (BNSF) are responding to an oil train derailment near the Magnolia Bridge in Seattle that occurred at approximately 2 a.m.
Ecology was notified of the incident at 3:11 a.m. and was initially informed there were no hazardous materials involved in the incident. At 7:30 a.m. Ecology learned that the derailment also involved tank cars full of Bakken crude oil and immediately sent responders to the incident scene.
No release of crude oil or hazardous materials has resulted from the derailment. BNSF is working to upright the train cars and remove them. The tank cars carry an estimated 28,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil each. Ecology is on site overseeing the precautionary measures (cleanup preparation, and an oil containment boom has been placed around a nearby stormwater outfall to Puget Sound). Air monitoring is being performed to ensure the safety of responders and the public.
More information about the derailments will be provided as soon as it becomes available.