Evacuations ended at Calif. train derail site

LITTLEROCK, Calif. — People living near the site of a freight train derailment in rural northern Los Angeles County were allowed back in their homes Thursday morning as crews continued righting 21 toppled cars.

The evacuation order for 250 homes in the rural Antelope Valley desert area was lifted at about 1 a.m., Los Angeles County fire dispatch supervisor Robert Diaz said.

Union Pacific crews worked through the night to raise up the overturned cars and could be finished as early as noon, Diaz said.

No one was injured after 21 of 68 cars toppled off the tracks Wednesday afternoon. Six of the cars typically carried hazardous materials but they were empty, Union Pacific spokesman Aaron Hunt said.

Nonetheless, a hazardous materials team inspected the tank cars in case there were residual substances inside that may have leaked. The cars had residual chlorine and hydrogen fluoride, but experts found no leaks, Los Angeles County fire inspector Don Kunitomi said.

Officials said an evacuation of residents living near the derailed train will remain in place until Thursday when crews can upright the cars and check further.

The danger isn’t over until the cars are righted, said sheriff’s Lt. Don Ford.

The tank cars were designed to withstand a derailment by having the wheels come off one side of the track and the tanks fall down the other side, county fire Deputy Chief Mike Metro said Wednesday.

“They’re designed to take a hit like they took today, and that’s why we didn’t have any leak,” Metro said.

Esther Harrell, who lived within a block of the tracks, said she had just woken up from a nap when she was told to pack a few things and leave.

“We’ve lived by the tracks for 30 years and have never seen a derailment, I guess there’s a first for everything,” Harrell said.

Footage from KCAL-TV showed cars lying alongside a long stretch of track, with only a few buildings nearby.

Littlerock is at the foot of the northern face of the San Gabriel Mountains, which separate the Mojave Desert from metropolitan Los Angeles.