Two freight trains caught fire Tuesday morning after they collided and derailed near Panhandle, Tex.
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Details on injuries are not yet known. No injuries have been reported.
With that deadline still two years away, it appears unlikely that the measures were in place Tuesday when the trains collided northeast of Amarillo.
Investigative crews for BNSF are on the scene but there is no information on the train load or materials being carried, Joe Faust, a spokesman for BNSF, said in a statement.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway said the NTSB has opened an investigation, and the Federal Railroad Administration said it has investigators on site. It also wasn’t clear why the trains were on the same track.
Billy Brown, a farmer who lives in the area, says he saw a fireball erupt after the collision occurred. “It’s awful. I’ve seen a number of train wrecks but I’ve never seen one like this”.
Carson County officials are asking drivers to please avoid the area 5 miles East of Panhandle just off Highway 60 so emergency crews can continue rescue efforts, KFDA states.
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At about 11 a.m. local time, part of the city of Panhandle was evacuated as a precaution due to concerns of the fire spreading, according to the Amarillo Globe-News.
