Train Carrying Oil Derails in Columbia River Gorge -- Update

By Alejandro Lazo and Betsy Morris 

A Union Pacific Corp. train carrying crude oil through the scenic Columbia River Gorge in northern Oregon derailed on Friday and caught fire, prompting the shutdown of Interstate 84 and the evacuation of a local school, federal and local officials said.

The derailment occurred around 12:20 p.m. PDT, according to a spokesman for Union Pacific, and involved 11 railcars of the 96-car train.

The spokesman said oil was released from at least one railcar and the railroad's hazardous-materials experts were responding to the scene along with other contractors, equipped with air-monitoring equipment, firefighting foam and other equipment, as well as a boom to contain the oil spill.

The train originated in Eastport, Idaho, and was headed for Tacoma, Wash., carrying Bakken crude oil. There were no injuries or deaths.

The derailment occurred near the town of Mosier, which is along the Columbia River about 70 miles east of Portland, said Tom Fuller, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

It is unknown if oil was spilling into the river, said Richard Hoover, a spokesman for the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal.

Schools in Mosier were evacuated and images of the derailment on local news stations showed large plumes of smoke coming from the site of the derailment.

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown thanked local first responders, hazardous-materials teams and other state agencies for "doing their best to keep the community of Mosier safe."

"I am closely monitoring the situation and ready to make every state resource available as needed," Ms. Brown said.

The derailment follows a cluster of such incidents in North America over the past few years, including the oil-train wreck in Canada that killed 47 people in 2013 and a derailment in Virginia that spilled thousands of gallons of oil into the James River the following year.

Write to Alejandro Lazo at [e-mail] and Betsy Morris at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 03, 2016 18:44 ET (22:44 GMT)

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