Cleanup underway after train cars derail into river
Kathryn Roley
PARADISE (KPAX) – A train derailed on Sunday morning across from Quinn’s Hot Springs west of the town of Paradise.
There are no injuries and according to both the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Rail Link, there are no hazardous materials on the cars that are derailed.
According to the Sheriff's Office, there are about 25 cars that are no longer on the tracks. The sheriff's office also said that the train was mostly carrying food and clay products and some of the cars were empty.
There was one refrigerated car but the materials that the car contained were not known. There was also one train car carrying propane, but MRL officials say that there is no danger to the public or MRL employees.
The MRL train derailed around 9 a.m. Sunday morning. MRL does not currently know why the derailment occurred, but company spokesman Andy Garland said no injuries have been reported.
Some cabins at Quinn's Hot Springs were evacuated on Sunday as a precaution.
Cases of beer fell out of one car and some train cars did derail in the tunnel, but Garland said no hazardous material was released.
“I can confirm at roughly 9 am. this morning we had a portion of a train derail near paradise. No injuries, no public risk, no hazmat release. We've got MRL and first responders on site. We're committed to addressing any impacts to the area while keeping the safety of our employees and the public at top of mind. And it's under further investigation. We'll continue to have boots on the ground out here to try and get to the cause and obviously get things mitigated and cleaned up as fast as possible." - Montana Rail Link spokesman Andy Garland
Montana lawmakers issued statements in response to the train derailment in Paradise.
U.S. Senator Jon Tester released a statement on Twitter earlier today saying "I'm monitoring the train derailment in Sanders County and my office is in touch with local officials."
U.S. Senator Steve Daines also released a statement on Twitter saying "I'm closely monitoring the train derailment in Sanders County. My office is in close contact with Sanders County officials and BNSF Railway and MRL officials. The safety of the community is my top priority.”
Governor Greg Gianforte also released a statement on Twitter saying "I was briefed this morning on the train derailment in Sanders County, and we are prepared to mobilize the state's resources."
MRL currently does not have a timeline for when the derailment will all be cleaned up.