Pennsylvania train derailment that forced evacuations was caused by weather, company says
Of the approximately 40 cars on the train, about 15 of those derailed, including cars carrying urea, a type of fertilizer, and tetrachlorethylene, an industrial degreaser used in dry cleaners.
Watch: Train derails in Pennsylvania
A CSX train derailed in Whitemarsh Township, Pennsylvania, on Monday, and company officials say the weather is to blame.
WHITEMARSH TOWNSHIP, Pa. - A CSX train carrying about 40 cars derailed just outside Philadelphia early Monday morning, and company officials say the weather is to blame.
According to Whitemarsh Township officials, emergency crews were alerted to the train derailment just before 5 a.m. Monday.
Of the approximately 40 cars on the train, about 15 of those derailed, including cars carrying urea, a type of fertilizer, and tetrachlorethylene, an industrial degreaser used in dry cleaners.
An image showing a train that derailed in Pennsylvania on Monday, July 17, 2023.
(FOX 29 Philadelphia)
"Out of an abundance of caution, incident commanders evacuated 12 nearby residences," said Barren Hill Fire Company Chief Christopher Schwartz. "The residents were evacuated to a nearby school building in the township.
Schwartz said train and hazmat officials remained at the scene and determined that there was no active hazardous materials leak, Schwartz continued.
The residents were allowed back inside their homes before 9 a.m., and there were no injuries.
In a statement, CSX said the cause of the incident was due to weather. However, officials at a news conference on Monday did not confirm that.
The conditions at the time of the train derailment in Pennsylvania on Monday, July 17, 2023.
(FOX Weather)
Heavy rain fell across the area on Sunday, according to the FOX Forecast Center; however, at the time of the train derailment, just before 5 a.m. Monday, conditions were clear and calm.
Temperatures in Philadelphia were around 75 degrees with clear skies. In West Chester, Pennsylvania, temperatures were around 70 degrees with cloudy skies.
Over the past week, several inches of rain had fallen across the area. In Whitemarsh Township, about 2–3 inches of rain fell over the past week.