The bridge caught fire and destroyed: a train with hazardous substances derailed in Arizona

In Arizona, a freight train carrying hazardous substances derailed and erupted over the local Lake Tempe Town. Part of the bridge was destroyed, writes 24tv.

Photo: video frame YouTube / Reuters

Thick clouds could be seen hundreds of meters from the scene of the emergency. A freight train en route to Phoenix from Tucson derailed at around 6:15 am local time.

The fire engulfed eight cars carrying flammable substances. The train crew miraculously survived and was not injured. True, one person who is not a member of the crew inhaled poisonous smoke and was hospitalized.

The flames had to be extinguished with the help of both water and land transport. About 90 firefighters were called to the scene of the emergency. Extinguishing the fire was complicated by the hot weather.

ABC reports that three train tanks fell down a bridge into a parking area. A representative of the carrier on the flight reports that two of the tanks contained cyclohexanone and one contained rubber material.

The south side of the bridge collapsed.

Tempe town lake. Lumber burning from train. #tempe #tempefire pic.twitter.com/5tEEE77mkF

- vikki colvin (@VikkiColvin) July 29, 2020

It should be noted that just recently, on July 9, the bridge underwent an annual technical inspection.

“This is an annual inspection that is carried out on all our railway bridges. The report concluded that the bridge was in good condition, said Lupe Valdez, a spokesman for Union Pacific.

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The audit report was not released to the public. Valdez said he would be handed over to federal investigators, writes Azfamily... Valdez also admitted that a train crashed at the same site on June 26 and said that then the railway opened two days after repairs.

Photo: video frame YouTube / Reuters

Fire chief Greg Ruiz said about 500 gallons of the flammable substance leaked from the tanks before the crews were able to lift them. The extensive environmental clean-up will begin after Union Pacific completes its tasks, he said.

“Their goal is to remove all the tanks from Tempe Town by Sunday, Aug. 2,” Ruiz said. “Then they can start working on another process.”

A train derailed on a bridge in Arizona on Wednesday morning, causing eight to 10 rail cars to go up in flames. While no one was injured in the derailment, the south side of the bridge collapsed and rail cars fell into an empty park below https://t.co/7PX5OsKUye pic.twitter.com/523pKeZnwA

— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 29, 2020

Sandra Kennedy, local commissioner for the Arizona Corporation Commission, says the crash highlights the importance of infrastructure investment and regulatory operations. ACC coordinates all railways throughout the state. However, Kennedy says that due to lack of funding, they are unable to carry out the necessary checks.

“We're in the regulatory business, we go out there and investigate violations, and we just didn't have the authority or the money to do that because the legislator and the governor tied our hands,” Kennedy said.

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Following the crash, Gov. Doug Ducey released a statement praising the quick actions of first responders. He promised that his office "will closely monitor the situation and provide all possible support."

# BREAKING: Emergency services responding to freight train derailment on bridge near downtown Tempe, Arizona

pic.twitter.com/fIjsatkUXC

- IEN (@BreakingIEN) July 29, 2020

“I think the governor's statement is just unfortunate and complete nonsense because he knows, and Republican legislators know, that they withheld money to stop us from working,” Kennedy said.

In response, the governor's office said ACC was budgeted for $2016 million in fiscal year 29,8 and hired two additional inspectors in 2017. Office officials also noted that “the commission has not spent its full appropriation over the past four years.”

Photo: video frame YouTube / Reuters

Kennedy says she wants open communication with the railroad companies and the government to know what materials and substances are traveling through the state.

“This is something we need to know in railroads. If you're transporting material, we want to know what it is, we want to know where it's coming from and how far it goes. But we just don’t know,” she explained.

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