A Union Pacific train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire Wednesday morning on a bridge in Tempe, Ariz. Part of the bridge collapsed, sending railcars onto a roadway and an empty park below. CNN reports one person was treated for smoke inhalation; train personnel were not injured. Eight to 10 cars caught fire, according to UP spokesman Tim McMahan. Among the cars on the train en route to Phoenix from Tucson were two tank cars carrying cyclohexanone, a flammable liquid used as a solvent and to make nylon; those cars were not leaking or involved in the fire. It is not currently clear whether the derailment led to the bridge collapse. More than 100 firefighters responded to the incident, which occurred about 6:15 a.m. PST. The Arizona Republic reports the Salt River bridge dates to 1912, replacing three earlier spans washed out in floods.
Updated at 1:45 p.m. CDT. This is a developing story. Follow Trains News Wire for further information as it becomes available.
