On Thursday evening, two trains crashed in a “high-speed” head-on collision — prompting several road closures, triggering power outages throughout the surrounding area, and leading to experts expressing concern about a potential fuel leak in a nearby creek.
The incident occurred north of Boulder Community Hospital in Boulder, Colorado, just before 10:45 p.m. local time, according to the Daily Mail, which reported that one of the trains involved in the “high-speed” crash is owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
There were no reported deaths caused by the collision, though both conductors were injured during the crash. A rail bridge was also “destroyed” during the shocking collision, according to the Colorado Sun. The outlet also confirmed that around 92 residences in the area experienced power outages that lasted several hours into Friday morning.
Newsweek obtained aerial footage of the aftermath of the incident and shared it on social media, showing several train cars derailed and the train track damaged as a result of the “high-speed” crash.
Two trains collided Thursday night in Boulder, Colorado, resulting in several cars derailing and injuring two conductors according to police.
Read more: https://t.co/X4yocQ4pWd pic.twitter.com/Y8TYWSovj9
— Newsweek (@Newsweek) August 23, 2024
The Boulder Police Department’s official X account also posted about the incident.
“The train itself is a about a mile-long so it will take some time to clean up and move the cars. One rail bridge was destroyed in the crash, but no city property was damaged aside from some trees. Initially it was believed that fuel was leaking from the engine into the creek, but it is now believed that all the fuel was absorbed by sand that spilled out of one of the cars,” the post read.
The @BNSFRailway has now taken the lead on the train wreck that happened last night. This will be our last update until road closures are lifted:
The following roads will likely be closed/affected for a few hours up to the next few days. Please take alternative routes to avoid:… pic.twitter.com/gY6GL2PGvW
— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) August 23, 2024
The Boulder Police also explained in another post that several streets had been closed in the direct aftermath, but were later reopened on Friday.
UPDATE: Good news! ALL the roads are now reopened! https://t.co/NekR7p3kiB
— Boulder Police Dept. (@boulderpolice) August 23, 2024
The two conductors were released from the hospital after suffering only minor injuries, according to officials.
The Boulder Police Department also confirmed that the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway, which is the largest freight railroad in the United States, has been tasked with leading a cleanup of the crash and an investigation into the cause of the “high-speed” collision.
