Most of the cleanup and restoration of the area around a truck-train wreck Tuesday morning, that caused a huge fire and prompted the evacuation of residents within a half-mile radius of the tracks crossing Farm to Market 2095 almost a mile from its intersection with US 79, is complete.
The roadway is still closed to through traffic, but the track was ready for train traffic just a day and a half after the accident that had emergency responders from four counties answer the call.
“BNSF personnel completed restoration in the impacted area, which included grading work and installing new track panels, dumping ballast and track surfacing. They were able to safely reopen the impacted section of track yesterday afternoon (Wednesday),” said Ben Wilemon, a spokesman for BNSF Railway.
No one was seriously injured in the wreck that derailed 13 rail cars and caused an explosion that sent flames shooting high into the air.
“God was watching out for Milam County and Cameron because if the phosphoric acid solution had derailed and mixed with the burning gasoline and plastics, it would have created an extremely hazardous cloud being caustic when in contact with the skin,” Milam County Sheriff Chris White said Feb. 24.
That acid was in some of railroad cars that did not leave the tracks.
There was gasoline in some of the derailed cars and that is what caused the explosion and fire that damaged three outdoor structures and charred the ground and trees along the railway, officials said.
“The residence sustained heat damage but no fire or smoke damage,” White said. “The fire ball explosion went up and not out so structures that burned slowly caught fire from the constant, intense heat.”
The railroad company and Texas Department of Public Safety are still investigating, but the cause of the accident was determined soon after the wreck occurred Tuesday around 6:45 a.m.
A flatbed truck traveling west on FM 2095 collided with a Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway train. The train engine was towing 110 cars and was traveling southbound at the crossing. The truck struck approxi
The truck struck approximately around the fourth rail car back causing the derailment, according to the DPS report. The train had left Tem
The train had left Temple and was heading to Eagle Pass when the accident happened, the rail company said.
The crossing arms were down, lights were flashing and a car was stopped at the crossing when the truck slammed into the train to avoid hitting the car at the railroad crossing, the reports said.
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