Train And Tractor Trailer Collide In Central Texas
A massive explosion and a fire destroyed one home and cause several others to be evacuated on Tuesday in Central Texas after a BNSF train and a flat-bed tractor-trailer collided at about 6:40 in the morning, according to this report from NBC DFW. As another result of this collision, a total of 11 train cars were knocked off the train tracks. The forward-most cars were carrying gasoline and coal, which is what caused the explosion and raging fire, which caused at least one home to be destroyed. Other homes had to be evacuated because of the threat of fire and dangerous black smoke.
BNSF operates one of the largest freight railroad networks in North America, with 32,500 miles of rail and more than 40,000 employees. The company was able to quickly pull the unaffected cars back away from the crash site, saving them from any effects of the fire, which was beneficial because some of the cars farther back contained hazardous materials. Thankfully, these dangerous cars were not derailed or engulfed in the resulting explosion.
No one was injured in this collision. The tractor-trailer didn’t appear to be hauling anything at the time of the crash. The Texas Department of Public Safety is still investigating this crash, in an attempt to ascertain the cause of the accident.
