Train carrying crude oil derails, catches fire in Whatcom County
(Image from WSDOT cameras)
Residents in Custer, Washington were asked to evacuate the area after a train carrying crude oil derailed around lunchtime on Tuesday.
Seven cars derailed in the 7500 block of Portal Way at 11:46 a.m. and a fire started in two of the derailed cars, according to BNSF. The fire is under control and the 3/4 mile evacuation was lifted about six hours later. See a map here.
Courtney Wallace, public information for BNSF, said the cause is under investigation.
Wallace said the train was about 108 cars long and was traveling northbound to the Phillips 66 Refinery in Ferndale. She did not know the origin on Tuesday. Two people were on board.
Fire crews respond to the scene of a derailed train in the city of Custer, WA in Whatcom County on Tuesday, December 22, 2020. A BNSF spokesperson said seven train cars derailed and two caught fire. Credit: Washington State Department of Ecology
Train carrying crude oil derails, catches fire in Whatcom County By
at 12:56 pm
A train carrying crude oil derailed and caught fire in Whatcom County Tuesday morning, prompting officials to evacuate all nearby residents and businesses for several hours.
Reports that the train had derailed came in around 11:46 a.m., according to the Whatcom County Sheriff s Office, in the 7500 block of Portal Way in Custer, Wash., roughly 15 miles north of Bellingham along I-5.