Two freight trains collided late Thursday night just north of Boulder Community Health.
The collision caused substantial damage to a train bridge and resulted in a fuel spill. Two conductors were injured and taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
“Two trains collided and Pearl will be closed for an extended period of time. The conductors have minor injuries and the fuel will have to be cleaned up,” Boulder Police Department stated.
Boulder police said in an update that some fuel has leaked into the creek.
“Update: the train collision occurred North of Boulder Community Hospital and part of Pearl will be closed for the next few days. Part of Valmont is also blocked as well. Please continue to avoid driving or walking in this area. Xcel is working on a power line that was affected. The train bridge has been damaged and some fuel has leaked into the creek,” they wrote on X.
“A small amount of fuel spilled from the locomotive but is not impacting the creek. Crews are on site working to clear the incident as quickly and safely as possible. There is no threat to the public,” BNSF said per Denver 7.
According to the Boulder Police Department, the two conductors have been released from medical care. Kendall Sloan, Director of External Communications for BNSF Railway, confirmed the injuries but stressed that there was no significant threat to public safety.
Initial reports suggested that fuel was leaking into Boulder Creek. However, Boulder police later clarified that most of the fuel was absorbed by sand that had spilled from the train cars.
According to the press release:
The BNSF Railway has now taken the lead on the train wreck that happened last night. This will be our last update until road closures are lifted:
The following roads will likely be closed/affected for a few hours up to the next few days. Please take alternative routes to avoid:
-Pearl St. between Foothills Parkway and 30th St.
-Valmont St. between Foothills Parkway and 30th St.
-34th and Valmont
-Pearl and Junction
The train itself is a about a mile-long so it will take some time to clean up and move the cars.
One rail bridge was destroyed in the crash, but no city property was damaged aside from some trees.
Initially it was believed that fuel was leaking from the engine into the creek, but it is now believed that all the fuel was absorbed by sand that spilled out of one of the cars.
WATCH:
Two trains collide in Boulder
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) August 23, 2024
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