The Nation - News from May 12, 1987
A fiery, 14-car derailment last week in the Columbia River Gorge was caused by a falling boulder, railroad officials in Seattle said. The boulder came from a nearby hillside in the scenic gorge, striking a wheel on a flatcar that was the fifth car in the train and the second in the string that left the tracks, said Howard Kallio of the Burlington Northern Railroad. No one was injured in the accident, which occurred near Stevenson, Wash., as the 33-car freight train was traveling from Chicago to Portland, Ore. Three of the cars tumbled into the river, and another five caught fire as diesel fuel spilled over the track bed.
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