WELLINGTON, Ohio — A cleanup effort is underway in Lorain County after a three-engine train carrying more than a hundred cars went off its tracks.
It happened just after 6 a.m. Tuesday morning in Wellington, roughly 40 miles west of Cleveland.
Crystal Burns was getting her kids up for school, noticed her house shaking, and looked outside.
“Sparks flying and wheels going everywhere,” she said. “They were coming from right underneath.”
Investigators do not know what happened and say no one was hurt and no homes or businesses were damaged.
A spokesperson for CSX, which operates the train, said its cargo was made up mainly of building materials and produce. Here was their full statement:
"At approximately 6:00 am ET on Tuesday, May 28, a CSX train derailed two locomotives and 22 railcars containing produce and building materials in Wellington, OH. There are no reported injuries and no hazardous materials are involved. There is a fuel leak of unknown quantity from one of the train’s locomotives. CSX is working closely with Wellington Fire District and the Village of Wellington Police Department to assess the situation and develop a recovery plan. The train consisted of three locomotives, 89 loaded and 27 empty cars."
Wellington Assistant Chief Bill Brown said a car carrying onions caught fire and that the Styrofoam inside it served as fuel.
“The biggest challenge is you’re fighting it on two different fronts. You’ve got crews on one side off the tracks, crews on the other side--and you have to coordinate that,” Brown said.
He says as many as 60 to 70 trains pass though Wellington each day. Though he has seen accidents, none have been this bad.
An unknown amount of fuel did leak out, as hundreds of yards of track were replaced.
Crews plan to work around the clock. Brown believes it could take up to 72 hours before all broken cars are removed.