The morning of Monday, July 17 brought the shock of a 40-car CSX freight train derailment to residents near Stenton Avenue and Joshua Road in Whitemarsh Township, PA.
The Northern Southern tracks had 16 cars come off them, one of which was carrying hazardous material.
Fortunately, Hazmat crews were called in right away, but initial reports indicated that there was no danger to the public.
In order to protect citizens from any potential harm or danger, homes located in the 5000 block of Camburn Road were evacuated quickly and efficiently by police officers on site.
A mother and her daughter spoke with CBS News Philadelphia about their experience being told to leave their home at such an early hour:
“Alarming. It all happened really fast…we all don’t have shoes on…didn’t really know how long we would be or how serious it was until we pulled out into the neighborhood and saw all the lights, helicopters, fire trucks etc.”
Her daughter added “It’s a little shocking…and yeah, it was just scary. First thought for me always goes to my family and friends.”
Thankfully no injuries have been reported as a result of this incident.
CSX has conducted a preliminary investigation into this incident which indicates that weather may have played an unfortunate role in causing this derailment.
They also stated that they found silicone pellets leaking from some of the cars but these do not pose any sort of threat to members of the public either directly or indirectly.
While it is unclear if any further evacuations will be necessary due to this event, officials are still investigating what caused it so similar incidents can be avoided going forward.
Moving forward we can only hope that proper investigations are conducted so similar events can hopefully be avoided in future years.
