'Coal everywhere:' Union Pacific train derailed in Oostburg; no reported injuries
OOSTBURG -- A Union Pacific coal train derailed in Oostburg Sunday afternoon, July 5.
Officials said there were no reported injuries when 13 cars derailed near County Road A and Town Line Road, where the tracks cross the Black River. Coal spilled in the area as a result.
"It's a mess," said Charleen Peterson, neighbor. "It's just a mess. Coal everywhere, dirt everywhere."
The cause of the derailment is under investigation. Officials noted it typically takes months to find out what may have caused these types of incidents.
Meanwhile -- cleanup got underway Sunday, with no timeline of when that could be complete.
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"A mess," said Nate Voskuil with the Oostburg Fire Department. "There's rail cars laying all over on the side."
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Peterson was amazed by what happened in her backyard.
"We hear the trains all the time, and it sounded different," said Peterson. "It was a different sound. I looked back out -- the coal dust was coming up. It looked like smoke. I reached for my phone and I called 911."
Firefighters were quick to arrive -- a team working to secure the scene.
"They're going to be investigating," said Voskuil. "It's going to be a couple-day affair for them."
With authorities digging for answers, Peterson was grateful to hear no one was hurt.
"That was the good thing about it -- no one was hurt," said Peterson. "It's just coal, and it can get cleaned up. It's all good."
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