AMES, Iowa — The Union Pacific Railroad derailment that occurred just east of downtown Ames about 1:40 p.m. Thursday involved eight cars, according to a railroad spokesperson, not the 25 cars as originally reported by ThePerryNews.com.
Robynn Tysver, media relations manager with Union Pacific Railroad, said the mishap occurred between Dayton and Duff avenues and near the intersection of Edison Street and Carnegie Avenue in east Ames.
Tysver said no injuries occurred in the mishap. She said she was not aware of any spilled hazardous materials in the Ames incident, but the railroad routinely dispatches a hazardous materials crew to scenes of derailments.
The Ames Fire Department is currently staging at the intersection of Edison Street and Carnegie Avenue. Public safety radio traffic indicated hazardous material was spilled in the wreck, but no further confirmation of a spill has emerged.
A Des Moines hazmat crew arrived about 4:30 p.m., according to public safety radio traffic.
The cause of the mishap is unknown at this hour.
The city of Ames posted the following message on its Facebook page shortly after 3 p.m.: “Train derailment just west of Dayton Avenue. We are working on providing additional information. Duff Avenue, Kellogg Avenue, Clark Avenue and Hazel Avenue crossings are all blocked and are expected to remain blocked until further notice. Take Dayton, Grand, Sixth or Stange as alternative routes. Information will be updated as it becomes available.”
ThePerryNews.com will update this story as information becomes available.
