A derailment of railway cars in Sarnia early Thursday morning was expected to be cleared by mid-day, says Sarnia Fire Rescue Services.
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There were no leaks or concerns about public safety, said Deputy Chief Dale Gartshore, the city’s emergency manager.
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“It’s minor,” he said. “There are cars off the track” and some were carrying liquified petroleum gas “but there are no leaks.”
“There’s no concern, at this time,” Gartshore said.
He said CN notified the city about the incident.
“Shortly after 3 am this morning a CN train pulling into the Sarnia yard derailed a reported 14 cars,” CN spokesperson Daniel Salvatore said in an email. “Three of the cars are tanker cars on their side and are carrying LPG (liquid petroleum gas.)”
The Sarnia-Lambton Alerts system sent out a message to the public at about 6:30 am Thursday about a derailment near St. Andrew and Vidal streets involving several cars, including some carrying liquified petroleum gas.
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“There are no leaks, fires or injuries as a result of this incident,” Salvatore said.
CN crews were working to “address the incident” and clear the crossing at St. Andrew’s Street which was blocked by railcars, he said.
“CN is in the process of righting the cars,” Gartshore said at about 9 am
“We alerted the community because it impacted a roadway,” he said.
St. Andrew Street was closed near Vidal Street Thursday morning.
Rail cars could be seen nearby on their side along tracks running parallel to the railway approach to the CN tunnel that runs beneath the St. Clair River.
“We’re under the expectation that it should be cleared by mid-day,” Gartshore said about the derailment.
The tracks where the derailment happened runs through the industrial section of the city which is home to refineries and chemical plants.
“There’s a considerable amount of that product that moves through this area,” Gartshore said about liquified petroleum gas “because of the nature of the work that gets done here. We see those cars all the time.”
He said the railway tank cars “are very well protected.”
City firefighters were at the site in the morning, Gartshore said. “It’s not in an emergency capacity,” he said. “We’re monitoring.”
The city’s primary control group which provides leadership during emergencies was notified about the incident but wasn’t activated, Gartshore said.
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