Emergency crews are responding to a freight train derailment in North Bergen, New Jersey, according to officials. The train is derailed at about 25th St, I live 6 Blocks south at 19th St.
A CSX freight train derailed near 2425 Tonnelle Ave. around 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday, according to CSX. They say 13 rail cars derailed.
There is a HAZARDOUS MATERIALS LEAK involving "ethyl acetate."
North Hudson Regional Fire Department Hazmat teams are currently working to safely mitigate the situation by diluting it with large amounts of water.
Ethyl acetate is a colorless, highly flammable liquid with a characteristic sweet, fruity odor (similar to pear drops or nail polish remover). It is a widely used, low-toxicity solvent primarily utilized in paints, coatings, glues, decaffeination, and nail polish removers, appearing as a clear liquid, less dense than water, that is slightly soluble in water.
No mention of any evacuations necessary. I expect we would hear about it first since we are so close.
UPDATE 5:56 PM EDT --
The entrance/Exit Ramps for NJ Route 3 both east and Westbound are now reportedly CLOSED because they are very much closer to the leak than Tonnelle Ave., and the substance leaking is not just a Hazardous Material, it is explosively flammable.
NJ Route 3 is the main highway into and out of . . . . the Lincoln Tunnel running to/from Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is Rush Hour here. Local Traffic is totally stopped FOR MILES in all directions because people cannot get onto the highway from the local streets.
Even if they tell us to evacuate, there's almost no way to get out.
UPDATE 6:11 PM EDT --
There is a very large rail yard where this derailment took place. This is the first derailment in the 34 years I've lived here.
CSX and Conrail are incredibly safe companies. The tracks are all well maintained here because the rail corridor for the northeastern USA is so heavily used and so vital to all of us who live here.
As of now, there is NO INDICATION as to the cause. People have been asking me if I think this is terrorist-related and I do not.
