Six railroad cars jump the tracks in Wawbeek; Hwy. 31 shut down
Train derailment in Wawbeek leaves CSX worker questioning what happened
Multiple first responders fled to Wawbeek following last week's train crash
Rolls of paper that were on derailed train stored on CSX property under the overpass on Flomaton
Emergency personnel were on the scene for almost 24 hours straight beginning last Wednesday evening when six cars of a 13,000 foot CSX train derailed in Wawbeek forcing the closure of Highway 31 until late Thursday afternoon.
Escambia County Sheriff's Office Chief Deputy Mike Lambert said the first 911 call concerning the derailment came shortly before 6 p.m.
Lambert said when emergency personnel arrived on the scene they made contact with the conductor and were informed that the derailed cars contained large rolls of paper and polyvinyl pellets used in manufacturing and all materials were determined to be non-hazardous.
Lambert said no placards were visible on the cars naming the contents inside. Lambert said an aircraft was launched to see if any liquid leakage was occurring, but none was found. He noted one of the first things done at the scene was to call the National Weather Service to check wind direction in the event hazardous materials were found.
He said a deputy was sent to the engineer to get a list of what was being hauled on the train. He noted the train was about two miles long and was headed toward Flomaton when the derailment occurred. He said he was told by CSX officials car 161 was the first to derail.
After coordinating with the Alabama Department of Transportation, a decision was made to shut down a portion of Highway 31 and detour traffic.
"There was no safety issue with the cars that derailed, but responding units, construction workers and other crews needed access to the site," Lambert said.
He noted crews from Mississippi and Louisiana responded to help with the cleanup and get the train cars moved.
"We're blessed and fortunate nobody got hurt and that it happened in a rural area," Lambert said. "Other than being inconvenient for motorists traveling on Highway 31 there were no serious problems."
"It was a great team effort," Lambert said. "We had multiple fire departments and police departments on scene helping to detour traffic off of Highway 31 to get around congestion."
He also said he has not received any official information on what may have caused the cars to derail.
Lambert said Highway 31 was reopened about 4 p.m. Thursday.
