Originally published on fresnobee
UPDATE: Highway 99 is reopening partially following the seven-car trail derailment just north of Goshen earlier in the day, the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office reported at 4:30 p.m.
Southbound 99 will reopen first at 4:45 p.m. Monday, and one lane of northbound 99 will reopen shortly after that.
“Union Pacific Railroad is now in charge of the investigation,” TCSO spokeswoman Ashley Schwarm said in a news release. “And anyone who was evacuated as a result of the derailment may now return home.
“The Tulare County Sheriff’s Office, among with multiple agencies from across the state continue to assist Union Pacific Railroad with its investigation.”
ORIGINAL STORY: Firefighters and law enforcement officials remained uncertain Monday afternoon just when Highway 99 would reopen near the Tulare-Fresno County line after an early-morning train derailment tossed tank cars full of toxic chemicals off the tracks near Goshen.
Tim S. McMahan, a Union Pacific railroad spokesman, said the crash took place about 6:45 a.m. and six cars derailed on the southbound freight. Four cars carried butane and two carried hydrochloric acid. McMahan said one tank car released five gallons of hydrochloric acid but is no longer leaking. He added that there were no injuries.
He added that the cause of the derailment is under investigation.
The incident was still being assessed by hazardous material teams from the Fresno city and Visalia fire departments, said Capt. Joanne Bear of the Tulare County Fire Department on Monday afternoon. Union Pacific has a hazmat team of its own involved in the incident, McMahan said. A unified command consisting of the California Highway Patrol, Tulare County Sheriff, fire officials and the railroad was on scene.
California Highway Patrol spokesman Mike Salas said a worst-case scenario might mean the highway remained closed for up to 36 hours.
The closure snarled traffic through the central San Joaquin Valley on 99, which along with Interstate 5 is a main route through California. Long lines of big rigs and passenger vehicles were winding down rural Tulare County roads after 99 was shut down at Road 384 for southbound traffic and Betty Drive in Goshen for northbound drivers.
