Freight Train-Truck Collision Causes Explosion, Shuts Down Area East of Baltimore

(Update 5:05 p.m.)

A CSX freight train collided with a trash truck Tuesday afternoon in an industrial area east of Baltimore, flipping rail cars from their tracks, damaging nearby buildings and causing an explosion that could be felt for miles. One person, the driver of the truck, was confirmed injured.

Fifteen rail cars were derailed, according to police. Flames and a dark cloud of smoke could be seen billowing over the city. The powerful explosion was caught on several amateur videos. (Caution: foul language.)

"I felt it on Silver Spring Rd.," a Patch commenter said. "My dogs were barking as if someone had just banged really hard on my front door. Yikes! Hold your breath everyone! CSX carries some dangerous chemicals."

Officials said the chemicals carried on board the train were not toxic.

"There's no evidence of any need for an evacuation or a need for panic at all," said Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz. "The air here is clear."

However, at least one of the rail cars involved in the derailment was carrying sodium chlorate, which is classified by the U.S. Department of Transportation as a hazardous material, according to a news release from CSX.

Sodium chlorate is an oxidizer used in a variety of industrial processes, the release states.

Baltimore County Fire Chief John Hohman said the driver of a trash truck involved in the crash was is in serious but stable condition. The unidentified man was trapped inside his vehicle for a time, Hohman said during a news conference. There was no indication of any other injuries, Kamenetz said.

Two rail cars continued to burn two hours after the initial explosion and Hohman said they would likely be allowed to burn out.

Hohman said the incident "would be much more serious if there were toxic inhalants."

No homes were evacuated as a result of the collision and explosion but businesses in a 20-block area surrounding the scene were evacuated, Hohman said.

Baltimore County police and fire departments were advising people who could see the smoke plume to evacuate. The evacuation area, mostly commercial, is about 20 blocks, according to a tweet from police spokesman John Wachter.

The driver of the truck was listed in serious but stable condition at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, officials said. Two CSX employees—an engineer and a conductor—aboard the train at the time of the collision were not seriously injured, according to a news release from CSX.

Police said surrounding buildings were partially collapsed, with an auto body shop severely damaged. All businesses in the area were evacuated and residents were told to stay in place. Homes in the area had damage to windows, witnesses said.

Police say they received a call at 2:02 p.m. May 28 reporting a derailed CSX train in the 7500 block of Lake Drive near an industrial park in Rosedale. The 45-car train was on its way from Selkirk, NY to Waycross, GA and carrying a variety of materials ranging from lumber to printing paper, according to CSX.

Approximately 60 emergency units from Baltimore County and City as well as Martin’s State Airport and Baltimore-Washington International Airport were on the scene, according to a report from WJZ’s Adam May.

Kamenetz and Hohman told WJZ that CSX, the railroad company to whom the freight train belonged, has confirmed that no toxic inhalants are burning at the scene.

It remains to be determined what exactly is burning, Hohman told WJZ.

3:56 p.m: The Baltimore City Fire Department is advising people in the Pulaski and Moravia areas to shelter in place via Twitter.

3:30 p.m.: On the scene, Perry Hall Patch's Nick DiMarco said that police have begun to turn away onlookers from the scene. About 50 people walking along the train tracks to get a closer look at the derailment were turned away by police citing safety concerns.

Police are also evacuating businesses in the area, DiMarco reported.

Residents in the area reported on Twitter that there was a loud boom heard as far away as Canton, Pasadena and Perry Hall, and smoke could be seen billowing skyward from downtown Baltimore.

A link to live video of the scene on NBC can be found here.

Exits to Route 40 from Interstates 95 and 895 were closed. Route 40 was closed at 68th Street at the Baltimore City-County line and at Rosedale Avenue, according to State Highway Administration spokesman Charlie Gischlar. Gischlar also said that the Baltimore Beltway ramp onto westbound Route 40 toward Baltimore City was closed.

Amtrak said the derailment did not affect its train schedule because the train was not on tracks it uses.

READ MORE: 

• Check Train Derailment-Related Traffic on Patch
• Live Coverage of CSX Train Derailment in Rosedale
• Train Derailment: What Did You See and Hear?