Pasco BNSF derailment

(Information on this site is considered to be accurate at the time of posting, but is subject to change as new information becomes available.)

Forty-six cars broke loose at the Pasco train hump yard and rolled into 31 cars and two engines at the port. It's not clear how many cars have derailed.

Summary information

Date of incident: November 7, 2011

Location:

Port of Pasco near Sacajawea Park, Pasco, WA

Type of incident: Ethanol (absolute) - 20,000 potential release; diesel - up to 4,000 gallons; corn syrup in unknown quantity

Cause of incident: Under investigation

Responsible party: BNSF

BNSF Sacajawea train derailment.

Status updates

November 11, 2011

Cleanup continues at the BNSF Railroad spill site. Most of the damaged cars have been safely off-loaded and much of the spilled materials on the ground have been recovered. A plan for cleaning up the soil contaminated by the ethanol is being developed. The work is being conducted safely and is on schedule.

November 7, 2011

Forty-six cars broke loose at the Pasco train hump yard and rolled into 31 cars and two engines at the port.

It's not clear how many cars have derailed. Officials say they are mostly concerned about one tanker that is carrying 30,000 gallons of denatured alcohol and is leaking. Fire, hazmat crews and Ecology are on the scene.

Media contact

Joye Redfield-Wilder, Media contact, JRED461@ecy.wa.gov, 509-961-6277

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