2015 Mount Carbon train derailment

Mount Carbon CSX Derailment

Response crews for the West Virginia train derailment continue to monitor the burning of the derailed rail cars near Mount Carbon next to the Kanawha River, February 18, 2015. The train derailment occurred near Mount Carbon, February 15. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Chief Petty Officer Angie Vallier)
Details
Date February 16, 2015
Time 13:30 EST (18:30 GMT)
Location Mount Carbon, West Virginia
Coordinates 38°8′55.38″N 81°17′34.07″W / 38.1487167°N 81.2927972°WCoordinates: 38°8′55.38″N 81°17′34.07″W / 38.1487167°N 81.2927972°W
Country United States
Operator CSX
Type of incident Derailment
Cause Under investigation
Statistics
Trains 1
Passengers 0
Injuries 1 [1]
Damage Multiple large fires
14 tank cars
One home destroyed

The 2015 Mount Carbon train derailment refers to a derailment in Mount Carbon, West Virginia on February 16, 2015 which involved a CSX Transportation train hauling 109 tank cars of crude oil from North Dakota to Virginia.[2] The train was composed of two locomotives and 109 tank cars.[3] It resulted in a large fire which forced the evacuation of hundreds of families and the shut down of two nearby water treatment plants.[2] 14 railcars carrying crude oil caught fire, including one that plunged into the Kanawha River. Each car was carrying up to 30,000 US gallons (110,000 l; 25,000 imp gal) of crude oil.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Background

The train was carrying volatile Bakken crude from North Dakota's shale fields to an oil shipping depot in Yorktown, Virginia, using model 1232 tank cars, which include safety upgrades voluntarily adopted by the rail industry four years ago, the United States Federal Railroad Administration confirmed.[2]

Accident

At the time of the accident, the CSX train was traveling through Mount Carbon, West Virginia, in an area of town known as Adena Village, across the river from Boomer Bottom.[9] The state was under a winter storm warning and getting heavy snowfall at times, with as much as 5 inches (130 mm) in some places. It is unclear whether the snow contributed to the crash.[3] West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin's spokesman Chris Stadelman stated that 26 cars left the tracks, 14 of which caught fire.[2] A portion of the train hit and completely destroyed a house and initial reports stated another rail car ran into the nearby river, prompting the closure of nearby water treatment plants. Some tank fires were still burning the following morning, but federal investigators were allowed to get within 150 feet (46 m) of the derailed cars, and Appalachian Power crews were able to repair a line and restore electricity to about 900 customers. During the emergency response, authorities closed the adjacent West Virginia Route 61 in the area of the accident. One lane of the highway was subsequently reopened to most residents, allowing them to return home.[10]

An investigation by federal authorities, using data found on the train's digital data recorders, revealed the train was traveling at 33 miles per hour (53 km/h) miles per hour at the time of the accident. The legal speed for the section of railroad track where the accident occurred is 50 miles per hour (80 km/h) miles per hour, eliminating illegal speed as a factor in the derailment. Oil spilled into a creek near the accident site, but tests have not found the areas potable water supply to be contaminated by the crude oil that leaked.[11]

Aftermath

One person was treated for potential inhalation according to CSX.[3] The West Virginia National Guard is taking water samples to determine whether oil seeped into Armstrong Creek and CSX contractors also are monitoring the air for pollution linked to the fires.[2] Federal railroad and hazardous materials officials are currently probing the accident and Governor Tomblin has declared a state of emergency.[2]

Immediately following the accident, the various emergency response agencies organized The Unified Command for the West Virginia Train Derailment (UCWVTD), as a central command. The UCWVTD ordered evacuations of the Mount Carbon areas most at risk from the fires; specifically Adena Village,[12] and Boomer Bottom. As the situation improved in the days that followed, most residents were allowed to return home.[13]

References

  1. ↑ "Fireball fills West Virginia sky after oil train crash". BBC. BBC. Retrieved February 18, 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Raby, John (February 16, 2015). "West Virginia Train Derailment Sends Oil Tanker Into River". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 "Fiery train crash forces W Virginia towns to evacuate". BBC.co.uk. BBC. February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Huge fire in West Virginia after oil train derails, sending tanker into river". the Guardian. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  5. ↑ "UPDATE 5-CSX train hauling North Dakota oil derails, cars ablaze in W. Virginia". reuters.com. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Train hauling crude oil derails and sets wagons ablaze in West Virginia". The Independent. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  7. ↑ "CSX oil train derails in West Virginia; at least two cars on fire; towns evacuated". The Japan Times. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  8. ↑ "West Virginia oil train derails and burns, towns evacuated". cbc.ca. February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
  9. ↑ "In West Virginia, a collective sigh after the chaos". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 19, 2015.
  10. ↑ "DERAILMENT UPDATE: Mt. Carbon and Adena Village residents authorized to return home". WVNS-TV. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  11. ↑ "CSX Oil Train Was Not Speeding in West Virginia Crash, Inquiry Finds". The New York Times. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  12. ↑ "Update #4: Residents in Adena, Mount Carbon return home". The Montgomery Herald. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  13. ↑ "DERAILMENT LATEST: Investigation is able to move forward after delays due to the weather". The State Journal. 23 February 2015. Retrieved 14 March 2015.