Freight Train Carrying Gasoline Derails, Catches Fire Near US–Mexico Border

A freight train carrying fuel that derailed and caught fire near the New Mexico-Arizona state line, east of Lupton, Ariz., on April 26, 2024, in a still from video. Bryan Wilson via AP

A freight train carrying gasoline and odorless propane derailed Friday near the Arizona-New Mexico state line and caught fire, leading to the closure of an interstate highway, according to authorities.

The Arizona Department of Transportation said in an update on X, formerly Twitter, that the train derailment has led to the closure of Interstate 40 (I-40) at milepost 357.

“Expect delays & seek an alternate route. There is no estimated time to reopen the highway,” the department stated. It later updated that there’s “a growing traffic backup on US 191 northbound due to the detour.”

New Mexico State Police (NMSP) said that it had deployed emergency crews to the site to mitigate the spread of the fire. No injuries have been reported following the incident, according to the police.

“NMSP is on the scene of a train derailment along with multiple other agencies on Interstate 40 milepost 8 near the Arizona border,” it stated on Facebook. “I-40 is closed in all directions in Arizona and New Mexico.”

BNSF Railway spokesperson Lena Kent said that company personnel were on site working to clear the wreckage. The cause of the derailment remains unclear and is currently under investigation.

In another update, NMSP stated that Interstate 40 will be closed to all westbound traffic at milepost 126 and diverted onto State Road 6 South, and that “there is no projected end to this closure.”

“All Commercial Motor Vehicles and non-local residents traveling west on Interstate 40 are instructed to take Interstate 25 south at Albuquerque to Interstate 10 in Las Cruces to continue to travel west,” it stated.

The derailment also led Amtrak to cancel some passenger travel, including on the route between Los Angeles and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) said they are closely monitoring the train derailment near the Arizona-New Mexico border, particularly focusing “on potential contamination from leaking hazardous materials.”

“I’m fighting to pass rail safety legislation so private corporations stop endangering communities and workers. Put people over profits,” Ms. Stansbury stated on X.

Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic, spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Transportation, said that traffic on I-40 backed up for more than 10 miles, though detours were opened on two-lane roads and highways. The agency also warned about an extended highway closure that would increase traffic on other interstate highways, including I-25 and I-10.

The Arizona Corporation Commission that oversees railroad safety said that 10 rail cars were involved in the derailment and that two were transporting liquid petroleum. The agency said it planned to send a railroad inspector to the site but later learned the derailment happened on the New Mexico side of the tracks.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.