Freight Train Derails in North Portland, Near Steel Bridge
Six cars of a freight train derailed at the intersection of North Interstate Avenue and North Thunderbird Way near the Steel Bridge and the Moda Center in Portland.
Portland Fire and Rescue, who updated residents via Twitter of the incident, immediately responded to the scene where they discovered that one of the derailed cars was a tanker, three were lumber carriers and the remaining two were boxcars.
Photos from the area provided by Fox 12 show that the massive cars toppled to their side with many of the wheels already detached. KGW also shared pictures showing the derailment from a distance.
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There were no passengers on the train and no injuries were reported. Portland Fire and Rescue also assured residents that no hazardous materials have leaked from the train cars as a result of the derailment. The freight train has also been inspected thoroughly to make sure no other issues cropped up from the incident.
While the train derailment has no serious impact on traffic, (Portland Fire and Rescue says it will only be minimal due to the location of the incident), the fire-fighters still highly advised that drivers avoid the area.
At the moment, there is no official word on what caused the derailing of the freight train cars in the first place. The investigation for this will be handled by the rail officials.
As Portland Fire and Rescue had written on their report for the incident, which they posted on their official website, "After determining that there was no immediate danger to the public, the scene was turned over to the railroad. Rail officials will be responsible for investigating the cause of the derailment and for restoring the line to normal operation."
It is unknown at this time when the freight train's normal operation will be fully restored.
