OKLAUNION, Texas — A train derailed and caught fire near the Texas-Oklahoma border on Saturday, authorities said.
Preliminary reports indicated the accident is being treated as a hazmat situation, the Wichita Falls Times Record News reported.
According to Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Dan Buesing, several train cars of a Burlington Northern-Santa Fe route that contained denatured alcohol derailed, the newspaper reported. Denatured alcohol is commonly used as a solvent or in alcohol-burning camp stoves, according to the Times Record News.
The Wichita Falls Fire Department and crews from Sheppard Air Force Base were among emergency agencies sent to the scene of a train derailment Saturday morning near Oklaunion. https://t.co/fhYNklGJib pic.twitter.com/1BDfsURix0
— Times Record News (@timesrecordnews) January 8, 2022
Vernon Fire Chief Chris Cook and Wilbarger County Sheriff Brian Fritze told KDFX-TV that 11 train cars were derailed from the track. As of early Saturday afternoon, 10 cars are still on fire, according to the television station.
The derailment occurred under an overpass and is impacting U.S. 287, KAUZ-TV reported. The highway was closed in both directions, the television station reported.
The highway was reopened late Saturday afternoon.
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