Arizona fire freight train caused fire and bridge collapse
In pictures, more than ten cars are thought to have derailed at the Tempe Beach Park.6 am local time event; Officials are still trying to determine what was on the train No injuries are reported and it is not known what caused the accident; Lumbar can be seen in water At least 90 firefighters are on the scene in the accident which involved a Union Pacific train
The derailment of the huge ten-car freight train at Tempe, the fireball and bridge collapse in Arizona and the possibility of toxic leaks of 'toxic material' from the tanker.
A freight train derailed in Tempe, Arizona Wednesday morning, sparking a huge fire and causing part of a bridge to collapse.
Pictures from the scene show the blaze over Tempe Beach Park after up to ten cars are thought to have derailed, including a tanker labeled with a hazardous materials sign.
The accident occurred at 6 am local time. Wood and debris can be seen in the water. There are currently no reported injuries and no details of what caused the accident.Tempe Police tweeted: 'There are scenes of @Tempolis and they Tempe fire train derailing and a huge fire at Tempe Town Lake. Several roads are prohibited near Lake Tempe Town and west of downtown Tempe. Please avoid the area. '
Tempe firefighters, paramedics and police rushed to a rail bridge over Tempe Town Lake.
"This is a coordinated attack with several agencies fighting the fire involving multiple train cars," Tempe police Det. Natalie Barela said in a statement.
Police Chief Sylvia Moir tweeted: 'Update- Tempe train derailment and fire- No one is injured at the moment, but the scene is very dangerous.
'Stay out of Lake Tempe Town and stay away from the area.'
The accident forced closure of Loop 202, a major thoroughfare of the metropolitan Phoenix area, in both directions near the fire, the Arizona Department of Transportation said.
The accident was close to protests on Monday night, with around 200 people gathered at Tempe Beach Park. The protest to support the Black Lives Matter movement became violent when protesters clashed with police, who fired tears in the middle of the street.
Eyewitness Camille Kimball told CBS5: 'I turned around to look and got the fright of my life.
'Now there's fire pouring into the lake from the middle of the bridge. It' looks like a scene from hell, truly. A scene from hell. The flames are intense and the sky is filled with black smoke.'
At least 90 firefighters are on the scene in the crash which involved a Union Pacific train.
Valley Metro tweeted: 'Service alert-update: Due to heavy rail fires at Tempe, Valley Metro is ending service at 38th St. / Wash in Tempe and eastbound at Smith Martin / Apache Blvd. Buses are being assembled to carry passengers around the incident. '
Footage from the local TV station shows thick, black smoke and huge flames of train cars lying on the ground under the bridge.Authorities are still trying to determine what was on the trains.The 2.5-mile man-made lake is a popular recreation destination for jogging, cycling and boating, located near Arizona State University.
Tempe hit the headlines earlier this week when a protest to support the Black Lives Matter movement turned violent.
After the crowd ignored orders to disperse, police deployed tear gas at the protesters, who responded by launching projectiles and shouting profanities as they moved toward a line of officers on bicycles.
