SANTA FE, Texas – Authorities say 22 freight cars derailed in southeast Texas and caused a brief evacuation after an oil-based substance leaked. No injuries were reported.
Joe Faust, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, says it's not immediately clear what caused the Houston-bound train to derail Thursday morning in Santa Fe.
Faust says two tankers ruptured. One carried an asphalt material, while the other was hauling molten sulfur. The cleanup process will involve heavy equipment moving the cars.
Police Capt. Wayne Kessler described the jumble of derailed cars saying: "It's a mess. They are sideways."
Kessler says an evacuation order issued for a mile radius around the derailment site was lifted within two hours.
A stretch of nearby Highway 6 was closed.
Get all the stories you need-to-know from the most powerful name in news delivered first thing every morning to your inbox