Seattle-bound freight train derails in Aurora, closes roads

A Seattle-bound freight train carrying truck boxes - three of which contained hazardous materials including cleaning products - derailed early Thursday morning in Aurora.

No one was injured in the accident, but it forced the closure of Jericho Road between Route 31 and Edgelawn Drive for more than 14 hours. The rear of the train also blocked the Terry Avenue crossing.

Crews were working into the night to repair the damage, get the train back on the tracks and determine what triggered the accident.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe spokesman Steve Forsberg said 10 cars of the 52-car train, which originated in Chicago, derailed about 3:30 a.m.

Forsberg said neither member of the two-man crew was injured, but some property damage occurred to sheds in the area. One derailed car landed within 10 feet of a home.

In a statement released by the city, Mayor Tom Weisner said he was particularly concerned about the incident because it occurred near homes and involved hazardous materials.

"This incident could have been much more serious," Weisner said. "We were lucky that there was no fire and no injuries. But it must have been quite unsettling for residents living near the derailment site to have train cars toppling over in their backyards last night."

Weisner said he is waiting to receive updates on the situation and is eager to hear what investigators find.

"The railroad has a responsibility to people who live in the neighborhoods," he said. "Above everything else, their safety should come first."

Forsberg said rail investigators are at the scene and attempting to determine what caused the 21st through 30th cars to jump the track.

"It's just too early to speculate right now, but we're working on it," he said. "We are also detouring other trains around the scene."

This is the third major derailment in the Aurora area in the past six years.

In July 2003 a freight train derailed just south of Jericho Road in Montgomery near the site of Thursday's accident.

In June 2002 an eastbound commuter train collided head-on with a westbound commuter train at the Aurora Transportation Center. The collision resulted in the derailment of the cab and four passenger cars of one train and the locomotive and three passenger cars of the other.