Watch CBS News

2nd train derails in Wisconsin in 2 days

WATERTOWN, Wis. -- A Canadian Pacific Railway train carrying crude oil derailed Sunday and prompted some evacuations in Wisconsin, the second day in a row a freight train derailed in the state.

The eastbound CP train derailed about 2 p.m. in Watertown, in the southeastern part of the state. The railroad said at least 13 cars derailed, and some were leaking.

No fires or injuries were reported. CP was sending teams to the site.

"CP takes this incident extremely seriously," the railroad said in a news release.

Federal investigators and hazardous material specialists are on their way to the scene, the Federal Railroad Administration said in a tweet.

CP spokesman Andy Cummings told CBS News that there were no injuries or fires reported as a result of the incident.

As a precaution, 35 homes near the derailment site have been evacuated. CP has reserved hotel rooms for all affected families.

Cummings said that some product spilled due to one of the tank cars being punctured. The leaking car has now been sealed, spilled product was contained and siphoned off, and no product reached waterways. According to Cummings, all spilled product will be hauled away and disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

He said preliminary reports indicate that less than 1,000 gallons of product spilled from the punctured car.

On Saturday, a freight train derailed near Alma in western Wisconsin, spilling thousands of gallons of ethanol. BNSF Railway said crews continued Sunday to transfer ethanol from the derailed cars and get the cars back on the tracks.

The BNSF train derailed at 8:45 a.m. Saturday about two miles north of Alma, a town along the Mississippi River. Some of the 25 derailed cars were empty auto racks and tanker cars.

BNSF said railroad crews stopped the leaks from five tanker cars and placed containment booms along the shoreline. One tanker released an estimated 18,000 gallons of ethanol, and the other four released an estimated 5 to 500 gallons each.

No one was hurt. BNSF said it expects the tracks to return to service Monday morning.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.