A Union Pacific train derailed mid-day on June 3 on tracks paralleling Interstate 84 in the town of Mosier, Oregon. Fourteen oil tankers derailed and four caught fire. There were no injuries and no structures were lost.

Water and air monitoring is being conducted. At first light this morning, a light sheen of oil was observed about six feet offshore in the Columbia River at the mouth of Rock Creek. Approximately 1000 feet of containment boom was used to contain the sheen. Environmental crews are working to identify and control the source of the sheen.

The containment boom placed this morning was in addition to three lines of sorbent booms placed across Rock Creek and the mouth of the creek in the Columbia River by the Union Pacific Railroad to protect these waterways during response operations.

Operations today will include removing rail cars from the site. When the rail cars are sufficiently cool, oil will be offloaded from the remaining railcars to tank trucks.

Wasco County Sheriff’s Deputies evacuated residents in an area about one quarter mile around the incident. The Red Cross opened an evacuation shelter at the Dry Hollow Grade School in The Dalles (1314 E 19th St.). The evacuation remains in effect. Wasco County deputies are patrolling the evacuated area to protect evacuated properties. The Wasco County Sheriff’s office will assess any continuing need for evacuation Saturday evening, and will contact citizens with an update.

A boil water order is currently in place for the Mosier community as a precautionary measure in the event an untested well is used for fire suppression. Federal, state, tribal and local authorities have established a command center near the scene to coordinate response, cleanup and investigation into what happened.

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