Experts say best plan for oil train fire is evacuation and containment

EVERETT — Each oil tanker car that passes through Snohomish County carries about 33,000 gallons. Multiply that by 100 to 110 cars per train.

Often, it’s Bakken crude oil, which is easier to refine but far more volatile. The Pacific Northwest now is averaging 2.5 loaded oil trains per day, most headed toward refineries in Skagit and Whatcom counties. Local firefighters have been talking about how they can be prepared if one turns into a fireball.

The message from experts is that, most likely, local firefighters won’t be able to extinguish the flames.

Instead, their focus will be evacuating the area and keeping the fire from spreading into buildings, said Brad Reading, an assistant chief at Snohomish County Fire District 1. In his district, the railroad tracks run through downtown Edmonds and along steep waterfront bluffs toward Everett.

“I think everyone in Snohomish County feels we have to get more educated,” he said.

Leaders from District 1 recently spent time learning about the history of oil and its components, including Bakken crude, “a commodity that’s going to be here for a long, long time,” Assistant Chief Bob Eastman said.

More trainings are planned throughout the region. The Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management sent two folks to a state conference this spring, deputy director Jason Biermann said. They also have been talking with the local hazardous materials team about getting together to look at maps and go over scenarios.

Experts on the marine environment will play a role in those discussions, because of the potential for a spill in Puget Sound. Also, the need for community notifications and warning systems — including automated phone calls — has come up at the county level and for the city of Everett.

Earlier this summer District 1 hosted an oil train-related drill with the Everett Fire Department and Edmonds police, Reading said. The minimum evacuation zone for an oil fire is 1,000 feet in every direction from the incident. Toxic fumes are a concern.

For a major oil fire, state and federal teams likely would take over after the initial response. Local firefighters still are working on their plans, Reading said.

“This is, for the big picture, pretty new stuff,” he said.

The railroad lines from Seattle to Everett and Canada and the lines from Everett east toward Spokane are owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe. In Washington in recent years, BNSF has trained more than 2,000 firefighters, police officers and emergency management folks on oil-related incidents, spokesman Gus Melonas said.

BNSF also has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on rail safety upgrades and has its own specialty incident teams and contractors on call if something happens. That’s in addition to regional stockpiles of booms, foam and skimmers, Melonas said.

The shared training includes the Everett Fire Department, which over the past year has sent seven people to a three-day BNSF class in Pueblo, Colorado, said Ric Cade, an acting assistant chief. They practiced with actual oil cars that had been lit on fire, he said.

The Marysville Fire District has sent one firefighter to Pueblo, Chief Martin McFalls said. Sixteen more have applied. Later this year, they plan to have BNSF visit and bring an actual oil car for crews to look over.

At least once a day, Marysville fire rigs responding to calls are delayed by trains, McFalls said. They alert the dispatch center and keep a record of those delays.

“The increase just in rail travel since 2007 has been tremendous and it’s anticipated to get much, much worse in the next three to 10 years,” he said.

Meanwhile, the city of Marysville plans a drill next year based on a train derailment, officials said. That exercise will simulate a chlorine gas spill and involve police, firefighters and various city departments.

About a year ago the state asked firefighters if they had enough personnel and equipment for a major oil fire, Gold Bar Fire Chief Eric Andrews said.

His answer: “No, we don’t.”

Crews along the U.S. 2 corridor are being told to expect more empty tankers passing by, Andrews said. Even cars labeled as empty can carry a few thousand gallons, prompting concerns, he said.

In the state survey, Andrews suggested creating a stockpile of firefighting foam in east county. However, a oil fire could easily block the highway — and access to the stockpile, depending on their respective locations.

Rikki King: 425-339-3449; rking@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Trader Joe’s customers walk in and out of the store on Monday, Nov. 20, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Trader Joe’s opens this week at Everett Mall

It’s a short move from a longtime location, essentially across the street, where parking was often an adventure.

Ian Bramel-Allen enters a guilty plea to second-degree murder during a plea and sentencing hearing on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Deep remorse’: Man gets 17 years for friend’s fatal stabbing in Edmonds

Ian Bramel-Allen, 44, pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder for killing Bret Northcutt last year at a WinCo.

Firefighters respond to a small RV and a motorhome fire on Tuesday afternoon in Marysville. (Provided by Snohomish County Fire Distrct 22)
1 injured after RV fire, explosion near Marysville

The cause of the fire in the 11600 block of 81st Avenue NE had not been determined, fire officials said.

Ashton Dedmon appears in court during his sentencing hearing on Tuesday, March 5, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett Navy sailor sentenced to 90 days for fatal hit and run

Ashton Dedmon crashed into Joshua Kollman and drove away. Dedmon, a petty officer on the USS Kidd, reported he had a panic attack.

A kindergarten student works on a computer at Emerson Elementary School on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘¡Una erupción!’: Dual language programs expanding to 10 local schools

A new bill aims to support 10 new programs each year statewide. In Snohomish County, most follow a 90-10 model of Spanish and English.

Logo for news use featuring the Tulalip Indian Reservation in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Woman drives off cliff, dies on Tulalip Reservation

The woman fell 70 to 80 feet after driving off Priest Point Drive NW on Sunday afternoon.

Everett
Boy, 4, survives fall from Everett fourth-story apartment window

The child was being treated at Seattle Children’s. The city has a limited supply of window stops for low-income residents.

People head out to the water at low tide during an unseasonably warm day on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett shatters record high temperature by 11 degrees

On Saturday, it hit 73 degrees, breaking the previous record of 62 set in 2007.

Snohomish County Fire District #4 and Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue respond to a motor vehicle collision for a car and pole. The driver was pronounced dead at the scene, near Triangle Bait & Tackle in Snohomish. (Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office)
Police: Troopers tried to stop driver before deadly crash in Snohomish

The man, 31, was driving at “a high rate of speed” when he crashed into a traffic light pole and died, investigators said.

Alan Dean, who is accused of the 1993 strangulation murder of 15-year-old Bothell girl Melissa Lee, appears in court during opening statements of his trial on Monday, March 18, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
31 years later, trial opens in Bothell teen’s brutal killing

In April 1993, Melissa Lee’s body was found below Edgewater Creek Bridge. It would take 27 years to arrest Alan Dean in her death.

Logo for news use featuring the municipality of Snohomish in Snohomish County, Washington. 220118
Man dies after crashing into pole in Snohomish

Just before 1 a.m., the driver crashed into a traffic light pole at the intersection of 2nd Street and Maple Avenue.

Bodies of two men recovered after falling into Eagle Falls near Index

Two men fell into the falls and did not resurface Saturday, authorities said. After a recovery effort, two bodies were found.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.