Residents Flee as Train Derails, Spilling Acid
A Union Pacific train derailed on the outskirts of a southern Arizona town, spilling about 10,000 gallons of sulfuric acid and forcing 96 residents to evacuate overnight.
Hazardous material crews used bulldozers and dump trucks Wednesday to clear out dirt soaked with sulfuric acid. Railroad spokesman Mike Furtney said the contaminated dirt would be moved to a nearby mine so the acid could be recaptured and used in the mining of copper.
The 107-car train was northbound from Nogales to Tucson when 19 cars derailed Tuesday evening in Sahuarita, about 20 miles south of Tucson, Furtney said. The two crew members were not injured, but one firefighter was treated for inhalation of acid fumes, officials said.
Two of the cars spilled their cargo of acid. Rural/Metro Fire Department Chief George Good said about 10,000 gallons had leaked and collected in puddles up to 6 inches deep.
Sulfuric acid irritates the eyes, nose and skin, and can destroy skin and cause blindness.
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