Photo: Moment RF
(Carlisle, IA) -- Union Pacific crews are repairing tracks near Carlisle after a train derailed.
They say about 20 railcars carrying lumber, salt, and more crashed Friday night.
"We treated it there [were] injuries, we treated it like there was a big hazmat spill, everything," says Hartford Fire Chief Zack Prickett.
No one was hurt in the crash. Local leaders say the tracks should be fixed by early next week.
Bill Gibbons of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a lot of corn oil, corn syrup, and lumber spilled, but the main environmental concern comes from polyethylene pellets which spilled from near and into Middle River, which feeds into the Des Moines River. Gibbons says the pellets are a threat to fish, birds, and other wildlife. He says crews are attempting to scoop up the pellets.