Residents evacuated after freight train derailment, fire

HYNDMAN, Pa. – Part of a freight train derailed Wednesday morning in Pennsylvania setting three train cars afire and prompting emergency officials to evacuate nearby homes.

No injuries were reported.

Bedford County 911 coordinator Harry Corley said six cars on the CSX freight train derailed about 5 a.m. in Hyndman, about 100 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. A residential garage slammed in the derailment caught fire and residents in a 1-mile radius were urged to leave their homes.

Corley said some of the train cars were filled with flammable liquid asphalt, but it wasn’t immediately clear whether the derailed or burning cars were carrying the asphalt or something else. Officials also had no details on the cause of the crash.

CSX spokesman Rob Doolittle said in an email that the train was traveling from Chicago to Selkirk, New York. He had no further details but said the company was working with first responders to protect public safety and CSX personnel.

“CSX apologizes for the impact that this incident is having on the residents of Hyndman, and will continue to support first responders and the community,” Doolittle said.

An emergency shelter was set up at the Hope for Hyndman Charter School, and the American Red Cross was called in to help, said Corley and Red Cross spokesman Dan Tobin. The number of residents displaced or how long they will have to remain away from their homes was not immediately known.

The fire was still burning more than two hours after the derailment, and Corley said determining what’s on fire and whether the liquid asphalt is fueling it was the top priority. Doolittle said more CSX workers were on the way to the crash.

“CSX’s top priority is to work cooperatively with first responders and other officials to protect the public’s safety, and CSX personnel are on the scene assisting first responders, providing information about the contents of the train and expertise on responding to railroad incidents,” Doolittle said.