TRAIN DERAILMENT NEAR CALIFORNIA'S SALTON SEA CLEARED A day after a train derailment in the Mecca, CA area , Highway 111 was open and trains were expected to begin moving through the area by 09:00 hours today, officials said. The derailment about 16:00 Tuesday sparked concerns of a hazardous materials leak, as the Los Angles-bound Union Pacific train was carrying paint thinner, among other cargo, from Illinois. However, the spills were creosote, a concrete sealant and blue cheese salad dressing, Cal Fire/Riverside County fire officials said. The spills made it into a canal about one mile from the Salton Sea, fire-apparatus engineer and hazardous-materials specialist Robert Becker said Tuesday. Hazardous-materials crews dammed the canal and cleaned up the spill, Becker said Tuesday. Highway 111, closed for a portion of the day yesterday, was open this morning, California Highway Patrol spokeswoman officer Tami Low. Crews from UP had all cars "rerailed" by 02:30 Wednesday and replaced 1,200 feet of damaged track overnight, UP spokesman Mark Davis said Wednesday morning. There were no injuries to the three crewmembers on the train, Davis said. One firefighter was taken to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio after suffering from heat exposure, Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department Battalion Chief Jorge Rodriguez said Tuesday. When UP finishes its investigation, the report will be sent to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration, Davis said. - David Raclin, The Riverside Press-Enterprise
