Fire from derailed train doused
KEENE, Calif. – Firefighters late Sunday put out a stubborn fire sparked by a freight train derailment in central California, allowing residents evacuated because of a toxic cloud to return home, officials said.
The blaze burned for nearly 24 hours after cars went off the tracks Saturday at a tunnel entrance near Keene, about 15 miles east of Bakersfield.
Seven homes in Keene were evacuated and the residents of 30 others were advised to stay indoors for most of the day Sunday, officials said. Two cars from the long freight train ran off tracks. Three train cars carrying alcohol, plastic pellets and cornmeal caught fire, and the blaze spread into the tunnel.