PALM DESERT, Calif. — Two people suffered what were described as “critical burn injuries” after a container on a Union Pacific train caught fire Friday, leading to a temporary halt to traffic on the rail line as well as closure of one direction of adjacent Interstate 10 for about two hours.
The Desert Sun newspaper reports the fire was reported about 12:30 p.m. and involved a container carrying materials including 25 pounds of lithium batteries, automobile batteries, auto airbag gas cylinders, drills and cell phones.
Cal Fire reported the two victims were taken to a local hospital. A Cal Fire Riverside County spokesman said the injured individuals did not work for the railroad or any of the emergency agencies that responded to the fire, and are suspects for potentially having started the fire.
Flammable containers have been a real problem for shipping lines as several container ships have burned at sea after containers onboard have caught on fire.