Seven of the 28 rail cars that derailed in Giscome on March 5 were filled with liquified petroleum gas, according to the Transportation Safety Board and CN Rail.
Liquefied petroleum gas is a mixture of hydrocarbon gases used to fuel heating appliances, cooking equipment, and vehicles.
The board says the gas is classified by the Federal Government as a flammable and dangerous commodity.
One car was also found to be carrying methanol, and the other 20 cars were loaded with petroleum coke, a non-hazardous byproduct of the refining process.
CN Rail says a small amount of petroleum coke spilled into the nearby creek however there were no injuries reported.
Giscome Elementary remains closed for cleanup this week, and staff and students have been rerouted to Blackburn Elementary.
The incident is being assessed by the Transportation Safety Board, who say the investigation is still in its early stages.
“We are looking into how the train was being handled, we are also looking into the track conditions at the time,” said Investigator James Carmichael.
“We look into the rail cars and the mechanical aspect of the locomotives and in this instance, we are also looking into the emergency response and the evacuation that took place.”
The Board says it will be classified in accordance with the TSB Policy on Occurrence Classification aftter the investigation is completed.
The Provincial Government’s Environmental Incident website says the transfer of liquid petroleum gas started on Sunday (Mar. 8) and is expected to last several days.
It adds the affected rail line is open and rail traffic has gone back to normal.
Drone footage of the full derailment submitted to MyPGNow:
Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
