About 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel spilled during a train derailment near Mattawamkeag on Tuesday.
The derailment occurred at 4:55 p.m. on Tuesday at a rail yard in Penobscot County according to railway operator CSX Transportation. The Lincoln Fire Department which responded to the scene reported a train engine had collided with a parked boxcar on the rails. While no one was injured, the collision upended one boxcar and derailed another.
The derailed car proceeded to sideswipe the locomotive’s fuel tank according to CSX, rupturing the tank and causing the fuel to spill approximately 1,200 gallons onto the ground. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection said cleanup crews managed to safely transfer an additional 2,450 gallons out of the damaged fuel tank.
The Maine DEP said the department flew a drone from the sheriff's office and a Maine Forest Service aircraft to see if any fuel ended up in the nearby Penobscot River. Both did not see any fuel sheen on the river, indicating no fuel ended up in the waterway.
CSX and the Maine DEP both said they are working together to clean the fuel and will continue monitoring the site through the holiday weekend. CSX said the cause of the incident is under investigation.
