Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Authorities Say Leak Of 50 Gallons Of Sodium Hydroxide Has Stopped

Crews are now working to pull away the trains and get the four overturned cars off the beach.

UPDATE: Authorities report the leak has since been repaired, according to a statement from  Sunday.

Authorities confirmed that about 50 gallons of sodium hydroxide spilled.

"The Department of Ecology and the Coast Guard stated that this is an environmental concern as the material can harm the aquatic organisms that come in contact with it," the release stated. "One of the overturned tankers is currently underneath several box cars and does not appear to be leaking."

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The U.S. Coast Guard is designating the area around the derailment a "safety zone" because of the volatility of sodium hydroxide, which when mixed with water can cause burns to the respiratory tract, skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract.

Crews are now pulling the trains away and will attempt to get the cars off the beach.

Find out what's happening in Gig Harborwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A broadcast notice to mariners is being relayed to warn local boaters to keep clear of the area for their safety and the safety of the responders. Coast Guard personnel are on scene and working with the multiple agencies to evaluate the situation and determine next course of action.

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Crews were working to seal a leaking train car early Sunday following a train derailment of more than a dozen cars near the busiest portion of Chambers Creek Properties.

The derailment occurred around 8 p.m., Saturday. No one was injured, and the cause is still under investigation.

According to Gus Melonas, spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, one train carrying chemicals was headed north to Vancouver, B.C., from Portland when 12 cars derailed.

One of those cars struck a southbound train headed to Roosevelt from Everett, and one car on that train also derailed. The southbound train was carrying general cargo, with no hazardous materials.

Most of the derailed cars were empty, but four were carrying sodium hydroxide, Melonas said. The chemical is used to adjust Ph levels in swimming pools but is considered hazardous in bulk quantities.

Four of the derailed cars came to a stop on the beach. They weren’t in the water because of low tide, but crews were working against 30-degree temperatures, wind and snow to move the cars by high tide around 2 a.m.

Pierce County spokesman Hunter George said the water was about 12 feet away shortly before midnight, so water was expected to reach the cars.

The derailment prompted a sweeping response from local law enforcement and other agencies, including West Pierce Fire & Rescue, University Place Police, King County Sheriff’s Office, Tacoma Fire, Anderson Island Fire and the state Department of Ecology.

By Saturday night, authorities had blocked off the entrance to the scene, which is near the busy area of the Pierce County-owned Chambers Creek Properties, where authorities established a command post. The derailment occurred close to the popular Soundview Trail and a.

Helicopters could be seen and heard circling the area of the derailment. A King County Sheriff's helicopter took infrared video of the derailed trains.

The video initially showed no leaks from the cars, but authorities admitted it was inconclusive, according to Hallie McCurdy, spokeswoman for West Pierce Fire & Rescue. Authorities sent a hazardous material team to the area, and BNSF crews were also on scene.

McCurdy said authorities ordered residents who live within a mile of the derailment to stay in their homes.

Patch will update this story as soon as more information becomes available.


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