BNSF Train Derailment with Fuel Spill in Arizona-New Mexico Border Closes Roads, Investigation Underway

Rewritten Article: A freight train carrying fuel derailed near Lupton, Arizona, on Friday, resulting in a fire that forced road closures along the border with New Mexico until Saturday. The BNSF Railway Company’s train was transporting gasoline and odorless propane when it came off the tracks and ignited flames. Fortunately, there were no reports of injuries at the site where this happened. In response to this incident, interstate 40 initially closed down in both directions but has since reopened its westbound lane on Saturday morning. The eastbound route from Lupton to Gallup, New Mexico, remains shuttered as investigators look into what caused the derailment and fire. National Transportation Safety Board staff members have arrived at the scene along with representatives of the Federal Railroad Administration to assess the situation’s extent. Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs (D) took her social media platform X to inform her followers that U.S. Secretary for Transportation Pete Buttigieg was aware of what had happened in Lupton, and they were closely monitoring developments on-site. In a tweet posted at 4:01 pm MT today [the date], Governor Hobbs pledged her administration’s assistance to mitigate the ongoing derailment’s hazardous aftermath should circumstances warrant it. The incident comes in the wake of BNSF reporting 368 train derailments since January, resulting in nine injuries and over $90 million worth of damages. Meanwhile, a Railroad Safety Act bill has yet to be voted on by the Senate as lawmakers consider new safety measures that could help prevent future rail accidents from occurring.