Train derails in Maine; no hazardous materials affected, officials say

ROCKWOOD, Maine — A train allegedly carrying hazardous materials derailed on Saturday in a rural area of Maine, authorities said.

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Update 10:57 p.m. EDT April 15: Authorities said lumber cars and three locomotives derailed about 15 miles east of Jackman, in the Moosehead Lake region, due to a track washout, WGME-TV reported.

Officials with Canadian Pacific Railways said there were no hazardous materials that derailed, stating that only three locomotive engines and six rail cars carrying lumber were involved, the Morning Sentinel reported. Those cars ignited a small forest fire, according to the newspaper.

“The hazardous materials being carried by the train are not involved in that fire,” the company said in a statement, according to the newspaper.

Original report: According to a Facebook post by Rockwood Fire & Rescue, emergency workers were on the scene of the derailment, with cars on fire in northeastern Somerset County about 30 miles east of Jackman. The department added that the train was carrying hazardous materials but did not specify what they were.

The derailment allegedly happened near Brassua Lake, the Morning Sentinel reported. A photograph accompanying the fire department’s social media post showed cars off the tracks in a snowy region near a body of water, according to the newspaper.

According to WGME-TV, the derailment occurred on the Central Maine and Quebec Railroad tracks, which are now owned by the Canadian Pacific Railway.

Crews are using heavy equipment to clear a snowmobile trail to obtain access to the scene, the Morning Sentinel reported. The Maine Forest Service is dropping water on the fire scene with a helicopter, according to the newspaper.

Rockwood Fire & Rescue asked residents to “please stay clear” of the area, according to its Facebook post.