Freight Train Derails Near Cajon Pass In Devore
DEVORE (CBSLA/AP) - A freight train derailed Tuesday morning near Southern California's Cajon Pass in Devore.
The San Bernardino County Fire Department said that 15 tank cars containing an unknown material went off the tracks roughly a quarter-mile south of the 215 Freeway and at least two were leaking.
Hazmat crews spent most of the day trying to determine exactly what the products were.
"We always want to know what we're dealing with," said Eric Sherwin, San Bernardino County Fire. "We want to know the hazards it presents and any threats to the community. And identifying that product really drives the steps and how we'll mitigate the spills such as this."
The department said surrounding buildings were evacuated as a precaution, along with transients in an adjacent riverbed.
200 employees at the nearby FedEx Distribution Center were evacuated.
Late Tuesday afternoon BNSF confirmed that one of the cars that was leaking contained detergent. The other, petroleum distillate which was not toxic. The leaks have since been stopped.
The location is near the northwest corner of the city of San Bernardino at the foot of the southern side of Cajon Pass, which carries rail and highway traffic over mountains about 60 miles east of Los Angeles.
There was no word on the cause of the derailment or how long it would take to clean up.
(© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)