Train derails near Paradise

Guests at Quinn's Hot Springs Resort woke up Sunday morning to what they thought was thunder, but with clear skies. That rumble turned out to be a train derailment directly across the Clark Fork River.

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train was westbound and just exiting a tunnel when the derailment occurred shortly before 9 a.m. "There are no injuries, no risks to public safety, and no Hazmat release," said Andy Garland, the director of communications for Montana Rail Link in Missoula. He added that the cause of the derailment is under investigation. The derailment happened about 200 feet from where Quinn's has its riverside cabins.

"We were watching the train go by and then it sounded like thunder, but there weren't any clouds in the sky," said Lisa Braudrick, who was staying in the resort's riverside lodge with her husband, Dennis, when the incident took place. But it wasn't until an hour later when the Pasco, Washington, couple was taking a walk that they saw the derailed train cars. Dan and Malia Razzaia of Seattle were in a river cabin closer to the derailment, but heard nothing. Dan saw the wreck when he took their service dog for a walk.

Members of the Plains-Paradise Rural Fire District were first on the scene with 13 firefighters and six trucks and deployed its rigid hull inflatable boat to get across the river to check on the damage and to inspect the wreckage for any hazardous material leakage. Fire Chief James Russell and firefighter Zach Vanderwall rowed two MRL investigators to the scene, where they spent about an hour looking over the wreckage. Russell said there was no leakage from the derailed railroad car that was carrying liquid petroleum gas. 

Sabrina E. McNeal of the Office of Governmental Affairs, Federal Railroad Administration, said in an incident notification that 23 of the train's 81 cars derailed, but that none of the cars with hazardous materials leaked. Seven of the derailed cars were still in the tunnel as of Monday night. McNeal said three of the cars are in the Clark Fork River, including one with a bentonite clay material, which when stirred up by the wind had caused speculation that it was a dangerous material. In addition, one car spilled hundreds of cases of Blue Moon and Coors beer along the bank and into the river. While waiting for Russell and the MRL members to check for Hazmat leakage, Vanderwall walked a potion of the shoreline plucking cans of beer out of the water and putting them on the beach. A boat with three people went to the site Sunday and retrieved some of the beer. They also put their excursion on Facebook. Russell said that a couple more people approached the site on Monday, but turned back. Officials said that anyone caught taking the beer could face charges.

"It was a well coordinated response," said Russell, who said that the only car of concern was the one carrying propane, which was only partially off the rails. Visual inspection and utilizing a gas meter confirmed there were no leaks. "A small amount of fuel was released to the soil from two impacted refrigerator cars," said Garland. "MRL has been in communication with both local and federal authorities and will conduct any necessary site remediation, including impacted soil removal in coordination with DEQ," he added.

More than 50 of the cars that were still on the tracks were taken away on Monday. MRL crews worked throughout Sunday night and all of Monday at the site. MRL has established a command post at Quinn's. In addition, the Whitewater Rescue Institute from Missoula deployed containment boom along the river bank to keep anymore beer from entering the water and to help monitor for potential diesel spillage. On Monday, heavy duty cranes removed two empty refrigerator cars that were straddling the tracks, which had to be moved before that could get to the car with the propane inside. 

"There is no current threat to public safety and no hazardous materials being released," said Russell. "The local MRL folks were on scene and on the tracks quickly assessing damage to the cars involved and any potential environmental concerns," said Russell, who added that he believes the toughest part of the cleanup operation is that the site is remote and difficult to access. He said it will be particularly difficult to get the several derailed cars inside the tunnel out.

As a precautionary measure, several of the resort's river cabins, which are located only a few hundred yards from the wreck, were evacuated shortly after officials got on scene. Members of the Plains Community Ambulance Service stage at the resort in case of any medical problems. The St. Regis Fire Department also showed up to offer any assistance as did a U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer.

Montana Highway Patrolman Steve Spurr patrolled the area for six hours Sunday because drivers were stopping in the road to let people out to see the derailment. He said the stopped vehicles were causing multiple vehicles to pass on a blind curve. The Montana Highway Department established reader boards along the road that said no stopping, standing or parking in that area and placed highway cones at the three turnouts closest to the site because so many people were stopping. The fire district kept resources at the scene throughout the day to monitor the situation and render support if needed. 

Mark Smith, MRL's vice president of operations, said he believes they'll have the track cleared between 24 to 36 hours, but others with the railroad were not sure when it could be completely cleaned up. Until then, trains with lighter loads will be diverted through Dixon. Smith, who's been with MRL for 35 years, said they haven't had a derailment on this line for more than 20 years.

"We are committed to addressing any impacts to the area as a result of this accident, prioritizing the safety of our employees and the public, and understanding the reasons for this incident," said Garland.