Runaway chlorine tank halted in Las Vegas
A chlorine tank car rolled for 20 miles Wednesday morning through Las Vegas before train crews stopped it.
The Las Vegas Review Journal and Associated Press reported that a “runaway” car rolled from a siding in Arden, several miles south of Las Vegas, passed through the city before rail employees stopped it on the north side of town.
A Union Pacific Railroad spokesman said no one was hurt and that an investigation had been launched.
But the Review Journal quoted an official from the Environmental Protection Agency as saying the gambling mecca had “dodged a bullet.”
In addition to the UP, the Federal Railroad Administration and the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada are reportedly investigating.
Reports indicate no suspicion of foul play. But concerns about the fact that chemical rail cars, particularly those carrying chlorine, pass through urban area, have been high since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
The issue was the subject of an American Progress Institute report earlier this year.
Runaway chlorine tank halted in Las Vegas
