Los Angeles Derailment
Oct 16, 2004

Freight Train Derails in Los Angeles Suburb

A freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed early Saturday, damaging at least four homes and forcing more than 200 people to evacuate, officials said. No serious injuries were reported. Investigators were trying to identify the hazardous materials on board and determine whether any leaked when the nearly 50 freight cars and trailers left the tracks, Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy Luis Castro said. About 500 gallons of diesel fuel spilled. Derailed cars badly battered two homes and littered several back yards with twisted metal and debris. One boxcar went through the roof of a home, and two others smashed into a wall outside a house next door. One resident was treated at the scene for injuries caused by debris, Castro said. The train had been en route from Los Angeles to Marion, Arkansas, when it derailed in the Los Angeles suburb of Pico Rivera.