Controlled Burn Completes Train Derailment Cleanup, Interstate Reopens in Arizona-New Mexico Border

LUPTON, ARIZONA (AP) — Interstate 40 has been reopened in both directions as firefighters continue to manage a controlled burn of any remaining fuel from last week’s train derailment near the Arizona-New Mexico state line. The incident commander at the scene, Fire Chief Lawrence Montoya Jr., confirmed that all evacuation orders have now been lifted and stated, “It’s all under control.”
The BNSF Railway freight train derailed on Friday in New Mexico close to Lupton, causing a subsequent firefighting operation. According to authorities, nobody was hurt during either the derailment or the following operations. On Saturday night, crews aimed at extinguishing flames from the accident; however, as an outcome of this attempt, Interstate 40’s eastbound lanes near Holbrook in Arizona and westbound lanes close to Grants in New Mexico were temporarily closed off.
The Department of Transportation for New Mexico announced that smog is still being produced around specific locations and suggested alternate paths or travel deferrals owing to significant traffic backlogs likely lasting upwards of a few hours at minimum. The debris from the site continues to be cleared, while repair work on the tracks has also commenced.
The cause behind this derailment remains under investigation by authorities as investigators affiliated with both federal agencies and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently present in Lupton for further analysis of events that led up to it.