Crews plan to extinguish fire Saturday night from train derailment near Arizona-New Mexico line

Crews program to extinguish a occurrence connected Saturday nighttime from a freight bid derailment adjacent the Arizona-New Mexico authorities enactment that forced the closure of a agelong of Interstate 40

LUPTON, Ariz. -- Crews program to extinguish a occurrence connected Saturday nighttime from a freight bid derailment adjacent the Arizona-New Mexico authorities enactment that forced the closure of a agelong of Interstate 40.

Some wreckage has been removed from the tracks, but astir 35 obstruction cars remain, including a half-dozen obstruction cars that were carrying non-odorous propane and had caught fire, said Lawrence Montoya Jr., main of occurrence and rescue successful McKinley County, New Mexico.

No injuries were reported successful the derailment Friday of the BNSF Railway bid adjacent Lupton, Arizona, though, arsenic it turned out, the derailment happened connected the New Mexico broadside of the tracks.

About 40 radical surviving wrong a two-mile radius of the derailment tract stay evacuated arsenic a precaution arsenic winds carried distant heavy fume and section firefighting crews responded.

“We are hoping we tin extinguish the occurrence earlier midnight,” Montoya said.

Once the occurrence is extinguished, immoderate substance that isn’t burned disconnected and remains connected the tract besides volition beryllium contained.

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 are closed astir Holbrook, Arizona, and the westbound lanes of the interstate are closed astatine Grants, New Mexico.

Authorities accidental radical should expect agelong delays and look for different routes oregon postpone question successful the area.

No dates person been specified for erstwhile that agelong of interstate volition reopen. Montoya said helium expects the interstate to stay closed until the occurrence is enactment retired and hazardous materials are mitigated.

The origin of the derailment is nether investigation.