ATLANTA — Authorities have extinguished a large fire that sparked after eight train cars derailed in Northwest Atlanta Friday morning.
It happened around 6:15 am near Chattahoochee Avenue NW and Defoor Avenue, where NewsChopper 2 spotted cars off the track and fire blowing smoke into the air.
CSX owns the railyard where the derailment occurred. No one was hurt and no evacuations were necessary in nearby neighborhoods, according to Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department.
CSX Spokesperson Sheriee Bowman said preliminary reports indicate that a Norfolk Southern train came in contact with a standing CSX train. The collision ruptured the fuel tank on a CSX locomotive and caused multiple cars carrying plastic pellets to turn over.
James McLemore, First Deputy Chief for Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department, said the locomotive had 4,000 gallons of fuel on it, and about 1,200 burned off.
McLemore also confirmed that the CSX mitigation team has since contained any runoff.
“CSX appreciates the swift action of local first responders,” CSX officials said to our partners at Channel 2 Action News in a statement. “Safety is our highest priority as we work to develop a recovery plan.”
Norfolk Southern said they are now working with CSX to investigate the cause of the collision.
CSX said the cleanup steps include safe removal of any derailed cars, completing any repairs to track infrastructure, cleaning up plastic pellets and any remaining diesel fuel.
WSB-TV’s Mary Alice Royse Ginther and Courtney Francisco contributed to this story