Cleanup is well underway at the site of a 16-car training derailment in Oklahoma possibly caused by thunderstorm winds estimated at 70 miles an hour Monday night. Strong winds also left power line damage near Buffalo.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed about one mile southwest of the town of Gage in Ellis County. Ben Wilemon, External Corporate Communication s Manager with the railway said the train was traveling east from Amarillo and bound for Northwest Ohio when it derailed around 8:35 in the evening.
He said there were no injuries to the crew and none of the derailed cars contained hazardous material.
“The current time for reopening is undetermined,” wrote Wilemon in an email to OK Energy Today.
While news reports suggested the strong winds were to blame, he said the cause is under investigation.
Some of the derailed cars carried double-stacked containers.
Strong winds definitely played a role in power line damage near Buffalo where crews from the Northwestern Electric Cooperative spent Tuesday repair snapped poles and downed lines.
Jonna Hensley, the cooperative’s Member Services and Communications Coordinator emailed OK Energy today explaining at least 18 poles were lost in the storm.
“—but the crews were able to back feed to the majority of our members. We have all available crews working on rebuilding the line,” she wrote.
Northwestern Electric is headquartered in Woodward.
