Train derailment sparks major fire in Quebec's Eastern Townships

[maddezmom]

Source: CBC

A train carrying gas derailed overnight in the heart of Lac-Megantic in Quebec's Eastern Townships, sparking a major fire that has brought firefighters from the town and neighbouring municipalities to the area, and led to the evacuation of hundreds of people.

Witnesses reported having heard several explosions in the town of about 6,000 located 250 kilometres east of Montreal. The derailment happened around 1 a.m. ET.

It is not yet known if there are any casualties.

A spokesperson for Ontario's Environment Ministery says 73 rail cars filled with petroleum were involved.

The fire, which can be seen for several kilometres, has spread to a number of homes, although it is not clear how many people have been forced to leave.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/07/06/quebec-train-derailment-fire.html

[PotatoChip]

1. Maine crews are there helping out.

I guess it's quite a serious situation from what I've heard on our local news.

[avaistheone1]

2. I feel sorry for the people there. That said, I hope this incident serves to block the Keystone

Pipeline from coming into the U.S.

BTW Although the title of the article the OP posted on Breaking News references the trains were carrying gas, the article itself states the trains were carrying crude oil.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. No pipeline? The oil will be shipped by trains like this one.

[cali]

9. why on earth would you think this incident would help block the pipeline

expect it to be used to push for the pipeline.

[maddezmom]

4. Update: People missing after rail tanker cars explode in Canadian town

-snip-

The disaster occurred shortly after 1 a.m. when a freight train derailed in Lac-Megantic, a picturesque lakeside town of about 6,000 people near the border with Maine. Although police said they could not yet get close enough to determine whether there were any casualties from the still-burning fires, an aerial photograph showed widespread devastation in the town center.

French-language broadcaster Radio-Canada said one building at the center of town was a bar popular with young people. An eyewitness told the broadcaster the town center had been crowded at the time of the derailment.

"Many parents are worried because they haven't been able to communicate with a member of their family or an acquaintance," Mayor Colette Roy-Laroche told the channel.

"We can't give out any information on what's happening right now because the firemen haven't been able to get close."

More: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/06/us-train-idUSBRE96505L20130706

[Purveyor]

5. Sixty Missing And Scores Feared Dead As Train Carrying Hundreds Of Tons Of Oil Derails And Explodes

*60 people believed to be missing
*About 30 buildings destroyed in Lac Megantic
*Force of blaze preventing rescue workers from checking for survivors
*Oil from train cars is spilling into nearby river


The center of a Quebec town has been wiped out, according to the mayor, after a freight train carrying crude oil derailed and exploded in a fireball at 1am on Saturday.

About 30 buildings were destroyed and 60 people are believed to be missing, but the force of the fire has prevented rescue workers from searching for survivors.

Parts of the town were evacuated in the early hours as fireballs shot several metres in the air, flames spread to nearby homes and thick acrid smoke filled the air in Lac-Megantic, which is close to the Maine border and about 250km from Montreal.

--CLIP
'When you see the center of your town almost destroyed, you'll understand that we're asking ourselves how we are going to get through this event,' the town's mayor, Colette Roy-Laroche, said.

'We're told some people are missing but they may just be out of town or on vacation,' Lieutenant Michel Brunet, of Quebec police, said.

A Facebook page has been set up to help friends and family check on their loved ones, according to the Toronto Star.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2357352/Breaking-news-Canadian-town-center-wiped-freight-train-carrying-hundreds-tons-crude-oil-derails-explodes.html#ixzz2YHqbQNod

[maddezmom]

7. Horrible

[AtheistCrusader]

14. Good grief, West, Texas all over again.

[cali]

6. this is NOT just a local story

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023184414

[u4ic]

8. This is absolutely horrible

60 missing and feared dead, the downtown destroyed.

I was evacuated way back when this happened: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_Mississauga_train_derailment Luckily there was no loss of life, and only a few homes were affected, despite the 250,000 that had to be evacuated. It was the potential for one car to explode and wipe out part of the city, and also kill with toxic fumes that luckily didn't manifest. It brought about legislative changes in what can be shipped by train through residential areas - but it obviously wasn't full proof.

I hope that 60 figure is wrong. Any deaths are devastating to a small community, but 60. My heart goes out to the people of Lac-Megantic.

[maddezmom]

10. Train was unmanned when it derailed.

MONTREAL - The train that careened into the centre of town in Lac Megantic early Saturday morning was unmanned when it derailed and exploded in a huge ball of flame, says a spokesperson for the company that owned the locomotive.
Joseph R. McGonigle confirmed to The Gazette early Saturday afternoon that shortly before midnight, the train's conductor locked the brakes and checked to ensure that the rail cars carrying thousands of litres of crude oil were all securely attached. He then checked into a nearby Lac Megantic hotel for the night.

"Sometime after, the train got loose," said McGonigle, who is vice president of marketing for The Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway. "It traveled under its own inertia to the centre of the town."

The locomotive portion of the 73-car train actually detached half a mile outside of the small town, he added, but the cars carrying the oil kept right on rolling. McGonigle said there are security mechanisms in place to prevent anyone from tampering with the train, and the proper checks were done by the conductor before he left the vehicle. No one except him should have been able to set it in motion.

More: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Train+carrying+crude+rolls+then+derails+explodes+Megantic/8625250/story.html

[Purveyor]

11. Hmmmm. Odd indeed. So many possibilities here. eom

[Brickbat]

15. I'm very interested in finding out what caused this.

[daleo]

12. Transporting and refining oil can be dangerous

Which is another point in favour of renewables like wind and solar.

This disaster is extraordinary, though.

[cali]

13. 1 death confirmed up to 100 missing

<snip>

Quebec provincial police confirmed one death on Saturday afternoon, and Sgt. Grégory Gomez del Prado told CBC it's possible up to 100 people could be missing, although he said it is difficult to pin down an exact number.

<snip>

The area surrounding the explosion site was a popular place on the evenings, and witnesses said the bars and restaurants were bustling with people when the first explosion hit.

Kee said one of the bars, which was packed with people enjoying their drinks on the patio, is now gone along with dozens of other buildings and homes that were flattened by the blast.


<snip>

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/07/06/quebec-train-derailment-fire.html

[ellisonz]

16. Hoping it's better than it looks...

[cali]

17. 3 now confirmed dead. Police say death toll will rise. They're prevented by fires

still raging from reaching parts of the destroyed center of town.

[maddezmom]

18. Saw an article that said over 50 probably perished in one bar

[cali]

19. I hope most of those people got out but there are definitely still some

missing from that bar. the owner has tried reaching several employees that he knew were there without success.

Here's to hoping that the death toll doesn't rise to such hideous numbers.

[cali]

20. now being treated as a crime scene

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/07/07/lac_megantic_death_toll_rises_in_quebec_train_derailment_explosion.html

I don't know if that's normal procedure in this kind of accident or not.

[Gormy Cuss]

21. Lac Megantic is in such a pretty area

and I remember the people as warm and generous.

What a horrible tragedy.

[Locut0s]

22. Holly shit these pics!...

RIP to those killed!

I knew the town was devastated, up to 100 possibly killed, hard to say. They said the town centre was torched, but these pics are something else!




That looks like a fucking nuclear bomb!








Smug piece of shit smiling, god I hate Harper.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

23. MMA Derailment and Fire at Lac-Megantic

MMA Derailment and Fire at Lac-Megantic
http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?15,3119915

Explosion à Lac-Mégantic: le train était sans conducteur
http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/justice-et-affaires-criminelles/faits-divers/201307/06/01-4668289-explosion-a-lac-megantic-le-train-etait-sans-conducteur.php



Quebec town rocked by explosions, fire after derailment
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2013/07/06/quebec-train-derailment-fire.html

Hazmat info from another thread:

Baltimore explosion reportedly caused by train derailment
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014494317

This is the manual used by the FRA hazmat inspectors. Yes, I know; the FRA does not have authority in Canada.

Hazardous Materials Compliance Manual
http://www.fra.dot.gov/eLib/details/L01184

Tank cars have special couplers. These couplers mate with all the other couplers in use, but when two tank cars are coupled to each other, their couplers have, in combination, an attribute all to themselves: they cannot become disconnected vertically. They are thus prevented from turning into battering rams that can puncture the car to which they were coupled. Thus, a string of tank cars will remain just that following a derailment - a string of connected cars -- unless there is some jacknifing involved. With jacknifing - well, that can be trouble. Some pictures taken from the air clearly show jacknifing.



See:

13 dead, many still missing in Lac-Mégantic
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2013/07/08/lac-megantic-quebec-train-explosion.html

Zoom: Lac-Mégantic blast site
http://www.cbc.ca/news/interactives/zoom-lac-megantic/

Tank Car Integrity
http://www.fra.dot.gov/Page/P0284

One safety feature found on all tank cars used in hazardous materials service is the double-shelf coupler. These couplers are designed to remain engaged when subjected to forces that occur during switching operations and train accidents.

== == == ==

First responders need to know what's in all those cars and trucks. Placards provide that information. This guidebook tells you how to identify the contents of the cars and trucks and what to do next.

PHMSA Emergency Response Guidebook
http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/hazmat/library/erg

http://www.phmsa.dot.gov/staticfiles/PHMSA/DownloadableFiles/Files/Hazmat/ERG2012.pdf

It's also available as an app for mobile devices.