By Katie Northcott, News Director
Fifty homes were evacuated after a train derailment near Wartrace around 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 20.
Those evacuated have been allowed to return to their homes although Bugscuffle Road is still closed to through traffic. Residents of Bugscuffle Road are being directed by official personnel on how to proceed.
A statement from the Bedford County government was posted on Facebook and is copied below. Please note that at the time of this articles, residents who were evacuated have been allowed to return to their homes.
A railroad derailment near Wartrace has resulted in the evacuation of about 50 homes and may create traffic problems in the Wartrace area throughout the day today.
The derailment, which happened at about 7 a.m. today, involved four cars carrying denatured alcohol. There were no leaks. CSX Transportation, which operates the railroad line, is handling cleanup efforts, but representatives of Bedford County Emergency Medical Services, Bedford County Emergency Management Agency, Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, Bedford County Fire Department, Wartrace Fire Department, Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and Tennessee Department of Health are on the scene.
No further evacuations are expected, and those who were evacuated should be able to return to their homes later today. No injuries have been reported; two bedridden people in the evacuation area had to be transported to safety.
The derailment happened on the side line and the main CSX line which runs through Bell Buckle, Wartrace and Normandy is clear. However, due to the work being done at the derailment site, trains on the main line will be traveling much more slowly than usual, which could result in longer-than-expected wait times at railroad crossings. Officials are urging those who do not have to be in the area to avoid it today due to traffic issues.
Bugscuffle Road remains closed due to the accident.
School buses may take alternate routes, resulting in some children being dropped off later than usual.
Denatured alcohol is ethanol, the alcohol in alcoholic beverages, which has been specially treated to make it undrinkable, so that it can be used for other purposes, for example as a fuel or solvent.
