Incident Report

Subject:                     Train, tanker collision kills 2

Date of Email reporting Incident:   Thu 23/10/200

Report Detail:

A couple of recent incidents in Oklahoma passed on by Steve Burton (BP Director of Emergency Preparedness and Response) which continue the transportation theme.  HAZMAT incidents do occur  - make sure you have SOP's and Pre-Plans for dealing with transport emergencies in and around your facilities. 

MEDFORD, Okla. -- Two men died and one was injured Friday 29th August 2008 when a tanker collided with a train near Medford, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.Larry Williams of Oklahoma City and Richard Pardarvis of Anadarko were pronounced dead at the scene. Dennis Etherton was taken by helicopter to the St. Francis Trauma Center in Wichita, KS., according to Union Pacific, the company that operates the train. The 52-year-old suffered burns to his head and core area. Union Pacific officials said Benny and Pardarvis were the only people on board the train. "It was a large explosion with fire," OHP Lt. George Brown said. "So, it was massive enough to blow the tanker in half, one part each on the side of the train."  Witnesses told a local radio station that they saw an explosion that resembled a mushroom cloud shortly after 9 a.m. Friday near the scene of the collision on U.S. Highway 81. The train collided with a truck, possibly a propane tanker, said Raquel Espinoza, spokeswoman for Union Pacific. The railroad is near a ONEOK plant. An official with the Tulsa-based natural gas company told KOFM-radio that the plant was not being threatened by the fire from the wreckage.  "We did preliminary reports, confirmed it was hauling LP gas, that's a propane-like gas that dissipates in the air, so it is not of concern for us," Brown said. U.S. 81 was closed one mile south of Medford and the city of Medford is without power.  At 9:30 a.m., at least two of the train's engines were still ablaze. Hazardous materials crews were called to the scene. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports that the surrounding area is safe and no evacuations were necessary.  Union Pacific railroad investigators are also reviewing video to determine exactly what happened. The stretch of U.S. 81 was later re-opened to commuters. Medford is in central Oklahoma about 20 miles south of the Kansas state line.  Friday's collision marks the second time this month rail service has been disrupted in the state. A train carrying fuel derailed and caught fire Aug. 22 near Luther.

YOUTUBE Video  http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_20TqQ5-P04

Train catches fire after derailment in Oklahoma
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - A train derailment in central Oklahoma on Friday sent fireballs into the sky but caused no injuries. Eight cars on the 110-car Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed, seven of which were carrying either crude oil or ethanol, company spokesman Joe Faust said. He said he didn't know how many of the derailed cars had caught on fire. He said only two people _ an engineer and a conductor _ were aboard the train, and neither was injured. The derailment occurred around 3 p.m., about 30 miles northeast of Oklahoma City, close to the town of Luther. The train was traveling less than 40 mph from Tulsa to Temple, Texas, on tracks operated by Stillwater Central Railroad. A call to the railroad's office went unanswered Friday afternoon. Television footage showed intense flames and heavy black smoke in the rural area. Firefighters initially were apparently unable to get near the fire because of the heat. The railroad tracks near the site of the fire appeared to be bent, and an oil pump jack was located nearby. Explosions at the site sent large balls of fire into the air, and the blaze continued into the evening. Edmond Fire Department spokesman Tim Wheeler said firefighters from five different towns initially responded, although some later were sent home as the blaze subsided somewhat.  With only small areas still burning, BNSF's hazardous materials crews applied a flame-retardant foam to suppress lingering flames, Faust said. By 8 p.m., the fire was under control and the command center disbanded, he said.  Crews from BNSF and investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration were en route to the scene Friday, said Faust and Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Steve Kulm.Oklahoma County Sheriff's Department spokesman Mark Myers said authorities blocked off a one-mile-radius area around the fire.

Additional Documentation:

Traincrashpictures