Train Delayed by Tank Puncture, Fuel Leak
Dozens of passengers were delayed for more than two hours Monday after an Amtrak train from San Diego spilled about 500 gallons of diesel fuel when its tank was punctured by a lawn mower that had been placed on the tracks.
No injuries were reported in the 4:59 p.m. incident.
After the mishap, Amtrak crewmen disconnected the engine from the train. That allowed a two-person hazardous materials crew to control the flow of the gushing fuel with plastic sheeting and stop the leak, said Anaheim Fire Capt. John Kox.
Kox said that firefighters had considered evacuating a nearby mobile-home park, but dropped the idea after the tank was successfully plugged. The engine’s tank carried 1,200 gallons of diesel fuel.
The cause of the incident, which occurred near an underpass to the Riverside Freeway near Sycamore Street, is under investigation.
Service was resumed after the train was taken to the Fullerton Amtrak station, where another engine was connected.
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