A tractor-trailer collided with a freight train in the Washington County town of Danforth on Wednesday night, derailing several cars at a remote railroad crossing, officials said.
No one was injured, but the collision sparked a fire, said Ted Talbot, a spokesman for the Maine Department of Transportation.
Talbot, who received updates from a MDOT crew that was deployed to the site to help with traffic control, said the cause and the extent of the fire were unknown. Initial, unconfirmed reports said there were explosions, but he was not aware of any.
“We don’t have any reports of multiple explosions. The initial reports, which seemed more serious, have changed dramatically,” he said.
Talbot said the tractor-trailer – he did not know who owns it – hit an empty fuel car that was part of the freight train. The cause of the crash will be investigated by the Federal Railroad Administration, he said.
“All I can confirm is there has been a collision between a train and commercial truck at the Eaton Village Crossing just south of Danforth,” said Dennis Perry, the evening shift supervisor for the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office said that two or three train cars derailed.
The sheriff’s office said the truck driver was treated for minor injuries at the scene and did not need to be taken to a hospital.
Route 1 between Danforth and Brookton Township was closed to traffic as emergency responders attempted to reconstruct what happened. It was not clear when it might reopen.
Dennis Hoey can be contacted at 791-6365 or at:
dhoey@pressherald.com
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