Freight train derails in Irwindale
Four cars jumped the tracks, officials say. A hazardous materials team is cleaning a spill of a nontoxic liquid at the scene, but no injuries are reported and street traffic is unaffected.
Four cars of a freight train derailed in Irwindale this morning, causing no injuries, but leaking a substance later identified as a nontoxic liquid, authorities said.
The derailment occurred at Azusa Canyon Road and Arrow Highway about 3:30 a.m., said Los Angeles County Fire Dispatch Supervisor Andre Gougis.
Although the derailment did not require evacuations, an unidentified substance was leaking from one car, prompting the Fire Department to dispatch a hazardous materials crew to the scene, which was still investigating and cleaning the scene today.
Fire officials later this morning said the substance leaking was propylene glycol, a clear nontoxic compound used in paint and not considered a hazardous material, said L.A. County fire spokesman Inspector Frank Garrido.
No one was immediately affected by the leak, Gougis said. What caused the derailment was not immediately clear, he said.
The track is owned by Union Pacific Railroad, Gougis said. Union Pacific's police department has begun investigating the derailment, which is not affecting traffic on the tracks or in the area, said Irwindale police Sgt. Gil Cuen.
Irwindale is 20 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
francisco.varaorta@latimes.com
