CSX Train Derails In Baltimore, Cleanup Could Take Days
BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ) -- No one was hurt when more than a dozen rail cars from a CSX train derailed at the Howard Street tunnel early Monday morning, authorities confirmed.
The Baltimore City Fire Department was called to the scene, located near Mount Royal Avenue and Howard Street, about 5:45 a.m., spokesperson Samuel Johnson told WJZ.
The investigator brought a heavy response, including the FBI.
"With everything going on, especially in Orlando, that's one of the first things I asked was for the FBI to be here because we want to rule out foul play," said Mark Wagner, Assistant Chief with the Baltimore City Fire Department.
Of the derailed cars, 12 were empty, Johnson said, but the remaining car contained acetone, which is a highly flammable liquid. Investigators found no punctures or leaks to the exterior of that car, Johnson told WJZ.
In 2001 a derailment in the same tunnel cause a fire that burned for days. Today's derailment renewed old concerns.
Maryland Delegate Clarence Lam has been trying to change state law.
"That would improve disclosure of particularly hazardous materials and liquids that would be traveling the rail lines," he said.
The explosion and fire that followed a crash and derailment three years ago in Baltimore County were stark evidence of the dangers.
And it's a reason removing the car carrying acetone is going to be slow and careful.
There were no fires or injuries reported at the scene on Monday.
Fire crews are urging the public to avoid Mount Royal Avenue between North Avenue and Charles Street while they clear the scene, which officials say could take days.
A CSX spokesperson told the Associated Press the train, which is comprised of eight locomotives and 124 cars, was heading from Philadelphia to Cumberland, Maryland when it derailed.
The cause of the derailment remains under investigation with the focus on track conditions and the train's mechanical systems.
Officials say there is no threat to the public.