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CN Derailment DebriefingBy 250 News Sunday, August 05, 2007 04:32 AM
Water bomber drops fire retardant on blaze during height of CN derailment incident ( photo courtesy Dominic Maguire) The fire from the burning wreckage of a CN train derailment in Prince George burned itself out by about 8:00 last night. A tanker of 50 thousand gallons of gasoline was venting and igniting as it was being released. The fire was a result of a collision between two CN trains Saturday morning. It is alleged one train was a “runaway” because it had no brakes. One train side swiped the other on the tracks directly across the Fraser River from Paddle Wheel Park and a major populated area of Prince George. At a media debriefing Saturday evening, Prince George Deputy Fire Chief John Lane said the chances of an explosion were being reduced as the contents of the tanker car were not under pressure so the potential for a massive explosion diminished as the level of the fuel was reduced. There was however concern for neighbours, who had been advised to stay out of the area. An emergency assistance site was set up in the Civic Centre in Prince George, Residents who didn’t want to return to their homes near Paddle Wheel Park, were advised to go to room 103 at the Civic Centre to register with officials and get any assistance they may have needed. On the environmental angle, the Ministry of the Environment’s Ben Van Nostrand says there doesn’t appear to be any significant damage. “It would seem that if there was a spill of any fuel that it burned before it reached the Fraser River" says Van Nostrand. “We haven’t been able to spot any sign of a fuel sheen in the back channels, but we will be doing some soil samples when the site has cooled down.” Van Nostrand says the Ministry has an air quality monitoring station on the east side of the Fraser River to measure for SO2, but there have been no increases noted. As for what is in that plume of black smoke that was wafting over the bowl area of Prince George, Sharlene Lively, the Public Health Protection Manager for Northern Health says the concern was over particulates, “There is only a concern if the wind changes” says Lively and that is what happened. No sooner had the briefing wrapped up when officials issued an advisory saying the smoke was wafting over the bowl area and those with respiratory problems should ensure the windows on their homes are closed. Lively says it could have been a different story “We are lucky, very lucky.” The environmental impact would appear to be minimal, the threat to human life limited to possible injury from flying glass IF the tanker erupts, and the air quality issues may impact those with respiratory difficulties. That lead one member of the media from the lower mainland who was taking part in the briefing via teleconference to say “So really, there is nothing really going on then.” Previous Story - Next Story Comments Posted by: Foo738 on August 5 2007 8:11 AMLively says it could have been a different story “We are lucky, very lucky.” It is time to stop feeling grateful and "lucky" when it comes to CN's misadventures. The citizenery needs to start working on getting them completely out of town. That includes First Avenue and the subdivisions to the West that are affected by this monster. Wake up guys! Posted by: nixy-nox on August 5 2007 12:08 PMIt is extremely lucky no one was hurt or killed in this debacle. It is only a matter of time before Canada faces another horrific railway tragedy if nothing is done. Make a submission to the Railway Safety Act Review,it is open to ALL Canadian citizens. Individuals and stakeholders alike. You have until August 31 2007 to express your concerns about rail safety in Canada. Go to www.tc.gc.ca , click on "Major Issues" on the right hand side of the dark green bar along the top, then click on "The Railway Safety Act Review" on the right hand side of the page.You can read submissions from Canadians already sent in and learn how to make one. Prince George has ALOT at stake and your voice should be heard, especially NOW! Posted by: thereasonableman on August 5 2007 9:23 PMJust thinking...what is the purpose of people "expressing concerns" over railway safety ? Is there a little man, living under a bridge, who doesn't have a TV or get the news, but is in charge of railway safety ? If you don't, by now, KNOW that CN has some serious safety issues, then lay back and slip gently back into your coma. Posted by: DPJ on August 6 2007 12:50 AMLower Mainland people think nothing happens here in general Posted by: Chester on August 6 2007 9:55 AMJust because a tanker has the capacity to hold 50,000 gallons of gasoline, doesn't necessarily mean that the car was full. Considering the length of time to burn off, I suspect a much smaller amount of fuel was in the tanker. Ministry of Environment commented that it appears that "if there was a spill of fuel that it burned before it reached the river". First Responders to the incident claim that fuel was in fact making it to the river and was burning at the same time. Based on the lower mainland reporters comment, does the reporter think that because nobody was killed or injured, there was no major environmental disaster that nothing really happened here in PG on Saturday worthy of reporting? Chester Posted by: Jimmi on August 7 2007 8:25 AMI can only imagine what will happen once they start transporting explosives to the coast from the new plant by Mcbride CN or BC DE-Rail? Nationalize the railraod, they obviuosly can't operate it safely |
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Two derailments here in PG in two weeks....
Next one could be the killer....
And yes a large very scary fire ensued...
fortunately they managed to get most of the rail cars moved out of the way.
Foresty did a great job with the water bomber...