Federal investigators on Wednesday said not to worry — the chemicals that were stored in a CSX train that exploded and caught fire outside Baltimore aren’t a risk to nearly residents.
Late Tuesday evening, firefighters responded to a fire and explosion at a derailed train site in Rosedale, Md., just outside Baltimore. They controlled the blaze shortly before midnight.
At least one of the trains that had caught fire had been used to transport hazardous materials, and investigators were initially concerned about the risk to nearby residents, The Associated Press reported.
They ruled within hours that the chemicals aren’t hazardous, AP said. But federal authorities are still looking for the reasons behind the fire.
National Transportation Safety Board’s Robert Sumwalt said a truck crossed the train tracks and collided with the derailed trains — but it still isn’t known why the driver was there. The driver, John Alban Jr., 50, was seriously injured in the crash and is still in the hospital recovering, AP reported.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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