A Union Pacific truck idles by the stopped train at the railroad crossing near Fir Street and Jefferson Avenue in La Grande on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. A train derailment has closed several railroad crossings through the downtown corridor.
A Union Pacific train stops at the railroad crossing at North Cherry Street and East N Avenue in La Grande due to a derailment on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
A Union Pacific train sits off the tracks after a derailment in La Grande on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
Yasser Marte/EO Media Group
Split wood rests under the Union Pacific train that derailed in La Grande on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
Yasser Marte/EO Media Group
A Union Pacific truck idles by the stopped train at the railroad crossing near Fir Street and Jefferson Avenue in La Grande on Wednesday, March 15, 2023. A train derailment has closed several railroad crossings through the downtown corridor.
Isabella Crowley/The Observer
A Union Pacific train stops at the railroad crossing at North Cherry Street and East N Avenue in La Grande due to a derailment on Wednesday, March 15, 2023.
LA GRANDE — A Union Pacific train derailed Wednesday, March 15, in downtown La Grande, according to Aaron Hunt, a spokesman for Union Pacific Railroad.
The derailment occurred at about 7:30 p.m. near Adams and Island avenues and involved five cars, none of whch were carrying hazmat materials. All of the cars remained standing after the incident.
No leaks or spills of hazmat materials were associated with the derailment, Hunt said.
Union Pacific sent a team to investigate the derailment and put the train back on the tracks, according to La Grande City Manager Robert Strope.
Hunt said Union Pacific will be the lead investiator of the crash.
The five cars which derailed were part of an eastbound train from Portland.
Several railroad crossings — Cherry, Greenwood, and Fir — through the downtown corridor are currently closed and may remain that way for an extended period of time.
“Please avoid the area and allow extra travel time to reach your destination,” the release said. “Union Pacific Railroad is working to address the situation as quickly as possible in order to allow for train passage and to open the crossings.”
La Grande Mayor Justin Rock said he was thankful for the quick response. He was notified of the derailment that morning through the city.
"All of our people did a great job notifying everyone quickly and handling an emergency," he said.
The is the first derailment in Union County since 2013, when 27 cars and one locomotive derailed near Hot Lake Springs on Highway 203. In that incident, approximately 100 gallons of diesel spilled but no hazardous spills were found and no injuries were reported.
About a dozen or so nearby residences and people staying at Eagles Hot Lake RV Park and Hot Lake Springs bed and breakfast were evacuated.
In 2015, 10 cars jumped the tracks in a narrow canyon in the Blue Mountains where the tracks run on an embankment overlooking Meacham Creek in Umatilla County.
One car was carrying residual liquefied petroleum gas, and another was loaded with approximately 20,000 gallons of a compound used to make glues and sealants. No hazardous materials were leaked.
The derailment happened 2 1/2 miles northeast of Meacham, away from homes. The land surrounding the railroad's right-of-way is owned by a ranching corporation.
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