19 BNSF rail cars derail east of Bonners Ferry

May 23, 2014

Nineteen BNSF Railway cars derailed from their tracks near Crossport, just east of Bonners Ferry at 1:55 a.m. on Thursday, May 22. The derailed cars were carrying bentonite, an absorbent clay. Industrial uses of bentonite include use as a drilling fluid to cool cutting tools, as a binder in some foundries, as a groundwater barrier, and for several other uses in industrial and processing applications. According to Gus Melonas, Director of Public Affairs for the U.S. Northwest region and Canada, the cause of the derailment remains under investigation, and no official statement on the cause is currently available. Mr. Melonas stated that a remediation team is working to clean up the spilled bentonite cargo. Crews from various areas, including Whitefish, Montana, Pasco, Washington, and also local crews from Bonners Ferry and other areas, worked through the night and into the day today to pull cars to clear the tracks. Mr. Melonas stated that the tracks have now reopened, allowing the multiple trains that had been held up to continue through the area. The damaged cars from the derailment will be scrapped from the site by BNSF Railway. They will be hauled away over the next four weeks.