Train crash that created huge forest fire was caused by beavers, officials say
Locomotives and lumber cars caught fire at the time, and an estimated 500 gallons of fuel spilled
A train derailment in rural Maine that spilt hundreds of gallons of fuel and left three workers in hospital was caused by beavers, state officials said.
The April 2023 freight train derailment took place in heavily forested Somerset County and also led to a forest fire.
Railway owner Canadian Pacific Kansas City led cleanup and repair efforts after the derailment, in which three locomotive engines and six train cars carrying lumber and electrical wiring went off track.
The three workers were treated and later released. The railway and the state blamed the derailment on a washout at the time. Federal Railroad Administration sent an inspector to the site.
A permitting and compliance manager for the Maine Land Use Planning Commission said during a Wednesday meeting that excessive water flowed through a beaver dam and washed out part of the track, the Bangor Daily News reported. A flow that allows water to go through a beaver dam let go and a massive amount of water came down through culverts under the railroad tracks, Audie Arbo said.
Locomotives and lumber cars caught fire at the time, and an estimated 500 gallons (1,895 liters) of fuel spilled.
Restoration efforts at the site were completed by late 2024, according to a letter sent by state officials to Canadian Pacific Kansas City.
Derailments and railroad safety had been a growing concern nationwide at the time after the fiery February 3rd Norfolk Southern derailment outside East Palestine, Ohio, that forced evacuations and created lingering health concerns because of the chemicals released.