LUPTON, Ariz. — A freight train derailment and fire near the Arizona-New Mexico state line has forced the closure of a stretch of Interstate 40.
Some wreckage has been removed from the tracks, but about 35 rail cars remain, including a half-dozen rail cars that were carrying non-odorous propane and had caught fire, said Lawrence Montoya Jr., chief of fire and rescue in McKinley County, New Mexico.
No injuries were reported in the derailment Friday of the BNSF Railway train near Lupton, Arizona, though, as it turned out, the derailment happened on the New Mexico side of the tracks.
About 40 people living within a two-mile radius of the derailment site remain evacuated as a precaution as winds carried away thick smoke and local firefighting crews responded.
“We are hoping we can extinguish the fire before midnight,” Montoya said.
Once the fire is extinguished, any fuel that isn’t burned off and remains on the site also will be contained.
Eastbound I-40 is closed at milepost 233 in Chambers, Arizona, and motorists are advised to expect long delays and postpone travel plans through the area.
Interstate travelers looking to pass through Arizona are encouraged to use southern routes, including Interstate 10.
There is no estimated time to reopen the highway, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT)
Real-time highway conditions in Arizona are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, the AZ511 app and by calling 511.
The Trucker Staff contributed to this report.
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