Trend / Photos / Dangerous Goods Incident: Leaking Train Car Near Scappoose | News

“Railway personnel noticed the leak and stopped the train at Slavens Road,” said Miguel Bautista, chief of the Scappoose Fire District Division.

There were 108 carriages on the train at the time of the incident. Bautista said the leak was diesel fuel.

“It is a flammable liquid that is not as volatile as other fuels, but it still needs to be mitigated,” Bautista said. “When we arrived, we assessed the spill and determined that approximately 50 gallons had leaked from the rail car.”

Portland Fire & Rescue also responded to the scene of the leak as a regional hazardous materials team. Oregon State Police and the Oregon Department of Transportation closed an approximately 300-foot section of the outer west lane of Highway 30 at the leak site for safety reasons. No surrounding homes or businesses were evacuated during the incident.

Bautista said the Scappoose Fire District's engines are equipped with foam in case a fire breaks out. The railway workers managed to install a wax seal to stop the leak. The lane of Highway 30 that was closed during the incident reopened around 1:30 p.m

“It’s fortunate that it didn’t turn into a bigger incident than it was,” Bautista said.

The wagon is sent to an unknown location for repairs. The cause of the leak in the railway carriage was still being investigated on Thursday afternoon.

“We are prepared for this, and in fact this week we went through our annual hazardous materials response refresher,” Bautista said. “Everyone on our team is certified to operate hazmat mats.”