Train Derails and Catches Fire near Arizona-New Mexico Border
Interstate 40 segments closed following hazardous derailment incident
Interstate 40 segments near the Arizona-New Mexico border were shut down following a train derailment and subsequent fire south of the highway on Friday morning.
A BNSF train derailed near northeastern Arizona on the New Mexico side of the Arizona-New Mexico border about 11:45 a.m., according to the Arizona Department of Transportation. Of the roughly 10 train cars involved in the derailment, two were transporting liquid petroleum and caught fire. The train’s crew were not injured in the incident, according to BNSF.
The Apache County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook that the derailment was being treated as a “Hazardous Materials Incident.” Fire officials have closed the area around the derailment to the public because of the cars’ “volatility,” and hazmat crews were also at the scene, the Arizona Corporation Commission posted on X.
At 1:30 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office announced that due to the derailment, I-40 was shut down at the Arizona-New Mexico border as well as the north and south frontage roads. Furthermore, the eastbound lanes of the highway were closed at milepost 357 near Lupton and milepost 333 near Chambers, the Arizona Department of Transportation said. Traffic was redirected north toward Navajo Route 12 and U.S. Route 191.
James Lamm, general manager of the Good 2 Go truck stop situated off exit 359 of I-40, the highway’s final exit in Arizona before the New Mexico border, mentioned that the derailment affected his business as it fell within the five-mile evacuation zone. Lamm also provided photos of the incident, showing orange flames and a dense plume of black smoke that could be seen for miles.
Drivers in the area of the closed I-40 segments should expect delays and seek alternative routes, according to ADOT. The department wrote that there is no estimated time for when the highway will be reopened.
Madeline Nguyen is a breaking news reporter for The Republic. Reach her at [email protected] or 480-619-0285. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @madelineynguyen.
