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CNN Live At Daybreak

Baltimore Deals With Train Derailment, Fire

Aired July 19, 2001 - 07:29   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: Let's get the latest now on the hazardous materials incident in Baltimore. The train was going through a downtown tunnel when fire broke out, forcing most interstates, including 83, 95 and 395, to close. Some downtown streets do remain blocked at this hour.

CNN's Elaine Quijano is in Baltimore with more now for us this morning.

Good morning, Elaine. How's it looking?

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Colleen.

Well, as you can see behind me, smoke is still billowing out of the tunnel here in Baltimore, but city fire officials now say this blaze is contained and the city is slowly returning to normal -- this after a train carrying hazardous materials somehow caught fire.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(voice-over): Firefighters battled through the night, working cautiously to reach the burning CSX train. Thick smoke and the threat of potentially dangerous chemical fumes made their job difficult.

HECTOR TORRES, BALTIMORE CITY FIRE DEPARTMENT: This tunnel is about a mile-and-a-half long. We're dealing with a train that's about three-quarters of a mile. And we are simply having great difficulties trying to get to the point of origin of the situation.

QUIJANO: The fire broke out while the freight train was passing through a tunnel in downtown Baltimore just after 3:00 Wednesday afternoon. As heavy black smoke poured out of the tunnel nearby, an Oriole's evening baseball game was postponed, Camden Yards evacuated and residents urged to stay inside their homes. For a time, the fire also shut down all major roads into the city.

CSX railroad officials said the train was carrying various chemicals, including hydrochloric acid. As for what caused the fire, railroad officials said only that it appeared to be concentrated in the front of the train and that, at 3:10 p.m. Eastern time, emergency brakes were applied.

ROBERT GOULD, CSX SPOKESPERSON: Three locomotives were involved and 60 cars. The three locomotives were pulled out of the tunnel at the start of the incident. So we've got 60 cars in the tunnel, eight of which contain hazardous materials product.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUIJANO: A live look now here at the scene in Baltimore. You can see smoke continuing to pour out of this tunnel where this train caught fire yesterday afternoon. They have reopened many of the streets here in Baltimore. Pedestrian traffic is open as well -- construction crews nearby back to work. They are getting back to business as usual here in Baltimore.

However, there is still no word on what exactly caused this fire. Meantime, fire officials tell us two firefighters suffered minor injuries; however, the two people who were on board the train were not hurt.

We're live in Baltimore. I'm Elaine Quijano -- Colleen, back to you.

MCEDWARDS: Elaine, just before you go, for people who may be heading out, is the mass transit system there affected in any way at all because of this or not?

QUIJANO: According to the Web site for the mass transit folks, their system is not affected. What is affected, however, is the light rail system. Folks who are going on certain stops are going to have to take shuttle buses back and forth. But from what we understand, that's the extent of the impact so far.

MCEDWARDS: We got you. All right, CNN's Elaine Quijano, thanks very much.

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