Union Pacific train cars derailment in Texas town causes ethanol leak, no injuries reported

RICHMOND, Texas — More than two dozen cars of a Union Pacific train derailed Wednesday morning in a Texas town near Houston, causing an ethanol leak from two of the cars that officials said didn’t pose a threat to the public.

The derailment happened around 5 a.m. CDT in Richmond, a town of 13,000 people about 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest of Houston. No injuries were reported, Union Pacific spokesperson Robynn Tysver said.

Two of the derailed cars began leaking ethanol after the accident, said Fort Bend County Fire Marshal Justin Jurek. Both leaks were later contained, he said.

Ethanol, typically made from corn, can be used as a fuel additive.

“It is not posing a current threat to the public and air monitoring is ongoing as a precaution. There’s no need for evacuation at this time,” Jurek said.

A third derailed car leaked corn syrup, officials said. That leak was also contained, Tysver said.

The derailment caused traffic delays for several hours in Richmond and nearby Rosenberg. Traffic began to clear up after several blocked railroad crossings were cleared.

There was no timeframe on how long the cleanup could take but Union Pacific was “working as safely and as efficiently as possible to clean up the site and reopen the crossings,” Tysver said.

“The incident is under investigation,” she said.