Six railcars and three locomotives derailed Saturday near Rockwood. The freight train was carrying hazardous materials, including pentamethylheptane, which is highly flammable and toxic to humans. Jackman-Moose River Fire and Rescue Department photo

The train that derailed in northern Maine on Saturday was carrying the hazardous chemical pentamethylheptane, which is highly flammable and toxic to humans, according to the railroad.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City railroad said the train was also carrying ethanol. Both chemicals are flammable, and pentamethylheptane is classified as highly flammable by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Cleanup continued Sunday at the site, where six cars derailed and started a small forest fire. The cars containing the hazardous materials were not involved in the fire, and there were no leaks or spills, according to the railroad.

The two cars carrying the drums of ethanol and pentamethylheptane were removed from the site Saturday night, according to Jim Britt of the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.

There were no evacuations, the railroad said Sunday.

The derailment happened at 8:30 a.m. Saturday about 15 miles east of Jackman near the village of Rockwood, in Somerset County, and was caused by a track washout, the railroad said in a statement Sunday.

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Three locomotives and four lumber cars derailed into a wooded area, where they caught fire and started a small forest fire. No other cars were impacted by the fire, the railroad said.

A freight train derailed Saturday near Rockwood, starting a small forest fire. The train was carrying hazardous materials, though officials say there is no threat to public health or safety. Jackman-Moose River Fire and Rescue Department photo

Canadian Pacific Kansas City crews were at the site Sunday working with emergency response and environmental teams, including the Maine Department of Environmental Protection, the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, and the Jackman-Moose River Fire and Rescue Department.

While the hazardous material did not spill or catch fire, state and federal officials said they were unaware of what material the train was carrying until it was disclosed by the railroad.

Trains carrying hazardous materials have become a growing concern across the country since a Feb. 3 accident in East Palestine, Ohio, where toxic chemicals spilled forcing evacuations.

Saturday’s derailment in northern Maine also happened about 40 miles from Lac-Megantic, Quebec, where a derailment in 2013 led to explosions and killed 47 people.

Daniel Griffin of the Federal Railroad Administration said that as a federal safety regulator, it does not monitor cargo transported by private rail companies. But that could change.

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“To be clear, this topic is included in the Secretary’s plan,” Griffin said Sunday in an email, referring to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Specifically, we are asking the freight railroad industry to provide proactive advance notification to state emergency response teams when they are transporting hazardous materials through their states, instead of expecting first responders to look up this information after an incident occurs.”

Greater transparency from railroads, especially with community leaders and first responders, should be prioritized by rail companies, Griffin added.

A federal safety inspector was en route Sunday to the site of the northern Maine derailment, and the Federal Railroad Administration said it is monitoring the situation.

The rail line is closed for now, and there is no estimate for how long the cleanup will take, according to the railroad.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City crews were at the site Sunday working with emergency response and environmental teams. The railroad says that hazardous material did not spill or catch fire. Jackman-Moose River Fire and Rescue Department photo

Some diesel fuel spilled from the locomotives, and crews were using booms and absorbents to contain it Sunday. Safety officials are continuing to ask that people stay away from the area.

Three railroad employees sustained non-life-threatening injuries in the accident. They were treated and released from a hospital on Saturday. No further injuries were reported.

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