For the second time in less than three weeks, a freight train has derailed in northwestern New Brunswick.
Five cars jumped the tracks in the Saint-Basile area of Edmundston around 10:30 p.m. Sunday. One of the cars was carrying highly-flammable liquid butane.
On Jan. 7, a CN freight train hauling crude oil and liquefied petroleum gas derailed near Plaster Rock, sparking a fire that burned for several days. In all, 19 cars and a locomotive left the tracks.
Emergency officials say the derailment near Edmundston is different from the one near Plaster Rock.
“There’s no fire. There’s no leakage, so there’s a big, big different between the two,” says Jacques Doiron, the Emergency Measures co-ordinator for Edmundston.
Doiron says the situation in Saint-Basile was brought under control quickly.
“There was no leaks, there’s no fires, naturally, there’s no spillage, so the train car is intact and there’s no danger, immediate danger for the people,” he says.
Police established a perimeter of 250 metres from the crash site as a safety precaution. About 25 people live within the area and all were put on alert in case authorities were forced to evacuate homes.
Jeanette Plourde lives less than 200 metres from the rail line where the derailment took place. She says two incidents in such a short time have her concerned.
“It worries me. There’s a lot of them and my friend thinks it’s something to look into because it could be somebody doing something,” says Plourde. “He said there’s a lot of that going on. It’s scary.”
CN spent Monday fixing some of the cars that derailed and engines were brought in to remove them from the scene.
Three cars remain and at least two have crashed into a small ravine.
New Brunswick Environment Minister Danny Soucy stopped by the crash site Monday, as he did three weeks ago near Plaster Rock.
Soucy says there are no environmental concerns about the derailment in Saint-Basile and he praised CN and emergency officials for their quick response.
“Like I said last time, it’s like a puzzle. Everybody brought their piece, they put it together, and it fits,” says Soucy. “The people are working together to ensure the area is secure and the area is well looked after and the people are safe.”
CN is investigating the cause of the crash.
With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell