>>
>> KING
>> KING 5
>> KING 5 NEWS AT FIVE O'CLOCK STARTS RIGHT NOW. WE ARE FOLLOWING THIS BREAKING
NEWS SCARY MOMENTS AS A DARK
CLOUD OF SMOKE ROSE OVER THE
TOWN OF CUSTER RIGHT NEAR THE
CANADIAN BORDER.
WITHIN JUST THE LAST COUPLE
HOURS WE GOT THE FIRST LOOK AT
THE DERAILED TRAIN THAT WAS
CARRYING CRUDE OIL.
>> MOST SMALL TOWN WAS TOLD TO
EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE
CRASH.
SO CUSTER IS ABOUT EIGHT MILES
SOUTH OF THE CANADIAN BORDER.
>> NORTH OF BELLINGHAM, NORTH
OF FERNDALE AND THE TRAIN
TRACKS AREN'T THAT FAR FROM
FIVE WHICH HAD TO BE CLOSED FOR
ABOUT A FOUR MILE STRETCH FOR
ABOUT AN HOUR BETWEEN NOON AND
1:00.
AND YOU CAN SEE PICTURES
OF FIREFIGHTERS DOUSING THE
FLAMES.
THE FIRE EXTREMELY INTENSE.
IN FACT, THE LOCAL COUNTY
SHERIFF HAS JUST TWEETED THAT
THERE ARE STILL SOME FIRES
ACTIVE ON THE SCENE BUT THE
EVACUATION ORDER HAS JUST BEEN
LIFTED AFTER SOME FOUR OR FIVE
HOURS.
NOW PEOPLE ARE STILL BEING
ASKED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE
CRASH SITE ITSELF JESSICA.
YES, STILL A DELICATE SITUATION
HAPPENING THERE WITHIN THE LAST
HOUR WE GOT THE UPDATE ON THE
INVESTIGATION INTO WHAT CAUSED
THE DERAILMENT.
STILL A LOT OF UNKNOWNS.
KAYLA LAFFERTY JOINING US NOW
FROM THE CRASH SCENE WHERE
THEY'RE STILL REALLY TRYING TO
PUT OUT THE FIRE.
I CAN SEE THE CREWS BEHIND YOU
AS WELL.
KAYLA?
YEAH, THERE ARE CREWS BEHIND
US.
WE ARE RIGHT AT THE PERIMETER
SITE JUST ABOUT A THOUSAND FEET
FROM WHERE THOSE CARS ARE THAT
WERE ON FIRE.
THE FOG HAS REALLY SET IN
OF COURSE, SO IT'S HARD TO SEE
IT NOW.
BUT WE DO HAVE SOME VIDEO FROM
WHEN WE GOT TO THE SCENE JUST A
COUPLE HOURS GO.
STILL SOME FLAMES AS YOU
MENTIONED.
STILL CREWS WORKING TO PUT
THOSE FLAMES OUT, JUST
MONITORING THE SCENE, THAT SORT
OF THING.
BUT A HALF MILE RADIUS FROM
WHERE THE DERAILMENT HAPPENED
WAS EVACUATED.
I DID SPEAK WITH THE STEVENS
FAMILY.
THEY JUST MOVED INTO THEIR
DREAM HOUSE TWO WEEKS AGO.
IT'S ABOUT A QUARTER MILE FROM
THE DERAILMENT SITE.
SAY
SAY THEY
SAY THEY HEARD A LOUD BOOM JUST BEFORE NOON AND THOUGHT SOME REAL POWER IS NOT EACH
OTHER OR THUNDER OR SOMETHING
LIKE THAT.
THEY SAW A LARGE COLUMN
OF BLACK SMOKE COMING FROM THE
TRAIN TRACKS.
THEY WERE TOLD BY SHERIFF'S
DEPUTIES WHAT HAPPENED AND TO
EVACUATE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
AND THE FIRST THOUGHT OF COURSE
WAS FOR THEIR FAMILY'S SAFETY.
>> FOR WHY IS GETTING OUR
DAUGHTER OUT AND OUR DOG AND
GRABBING ANYTHING THAT WAS, YOU
KNOW, SUPER IMPORTANT TO US AND
GETTING IT PUT IN THE CAR.
SO YEAH, FOR ME IT WAS
IMPORTANT TO GET OUT.
AND THEN HOPEFULLY YOU CAN GET
BACK IN REALLY SUPER SOON.
>> AND AS YOU HEARD THE
EVACUATION ORDER HAS NOW BEEN
LIFTED.
THE STEVENS FAMILY DID SAY THEY
WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE
FAMILY NEARBY SO THEY WERE ABLE
TO GO OVER TO THEIR HOUSE
THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS.
BUT OF COURSE, AS WE MENTIONED,
THERE ARE STILL CREWS HERE ON
CNN.
WE ARE BORDER PATROL THAT CAME
DOWN FROM THE BORDER HERE
SETTING THE PERIMETER THAT
WE'RE AT RIGHT NOW AND WE'RE
GONNA BE HERE LIVE THROUGH THE
EVENING KEEPING EVERYONE
UPDATED ON THE SITUATION.
BUT FOR NOW LIVE IN CUSTER
CABLE LAFFERTY KING 5 NEWS.
AND NOW WE WANT TO TURN TO OUR
FIVE TRANSPORTATION EXPERT
GLENN FARLEY LIVE.
GLENN, THE OFFICIALS THERE AT
THE SITE SAID THEY DIDN'T WANT
TO SPECULATE.
WHAT YOU THINK MIGHT HAVE
CAUSED THIS CRASH.
>> WELL, THERE ARE ALL SORTS
OF THINGS.
COULD IT HAVE BEEN SOMETHING TO
DO WITH THE TRACK?
ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS
THAT I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT
IS THAT THIS TRAIN HAS TWO
LOCOMOTIVES AT THE FRONT
GENERALLY TWO LOCOMOTIVES ON
THE BACK PUSHING TWO TWO
OF THOSE LOCOMOTIVES ARE RUN BY
REMOTE CONTROL IN THE BACK.
DID THAT SOMEHOW GET OUT
OF SEQUENCE TO THOSE ENGINES
KEPT PUSHING FASTER THAN THE
ONES UP FRONT.
NOT SAYING THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED
HERE BUT IT DOES MAKE YOU
WONDER BECAUSE APPARENTLY THIS
WAS AT THE BACK END.
THE TRAIN AS WE UNDERSTAND IT
WERE THOSE REMOTE LOCOMOTIVES
WERE BUT TRACK IS GOING TO GET
LOOKED AT SIGNALING POSSIBLY
BUT IT SITS.
I THINK THIS COULD BE A
DIFFICULT ONE TO SORT OF IRON
OUT.
>> AND IT'S THREE YEARS ALMOST
TODAY FROM THE AMTRAK
DERAILMENT IN DUPONT AS WE
MENTIONED WITH RICK LARSEN,
REPRESENTATIVE.
VERY DIFFERENT SITUATION THAT
WAS A PASSENGER TRAIN.
THIS WASN'T.
THAT'S THREE HOURS AWAY.
THAT WAS SPEED INVOLVED.
WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS THE
CAUSE HERE BUT WITH THESE
TRAINS ARE CARRYING CRUDE OIL,
HAS THIS BEEN AN ISSUE IN THE
NORTHWEST BEFORE?
WHAT HAS BEEN AN ISSUE I MEAN
I'M STANDING ALONGSIDE THE
TRACKS AND EDMUNDS THEY COME
THROUGH HERE.
>> THIS TRAIN WOULD HAVE COME
THROUGH HERE THROUGH SEATTLE ON
ITS WAY UP ITS LOCK LOADED WITH
BAKKEN CRUDE FROM NORTH DAKOTA.
THIS IS WHERE A LOT OF THIS
STUFF COMES FROM.
AND WE HAVE FIVE REFINERIES
HERE IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
AND THEY USE A LOT OF THIS
CRUDE OIL.
SO HERE IS AN INTERESTING
FIGURE FROM THE STATE
DEPARTMENT.
THE COLLEGE 20 BILLION GALLONS
OF FUEL AND THESE KINDS
OF PRODUCTS ARE HANDLED IN THE
STATE.
THAT INCLUDES WHAT'S ON SHIPS
BUT IT ALSO INCLUDES WHAT'S ON
TRAINS AS WELL AS PIPELINES.
SO WE KNOW THAT OFFICIALS ARE
STILL THERE ON THE SCENE.
HOW IS IT THAT LOCAL FIRE
DEPARTMENTS, SOMETHING VERY
SMALL IN THESE RURAL TOWNS ARE
PREPARED FOR THIS KIND
OF EMERGENCY?
>> SO BNSF RAILWAY HAS ACTUALLY
BEEN WORKING WITH A NUMBER
OF FIRE DEPARTMENTS ALONG THESE
LINES WHO MAY FACE SOMETHING
LIKE THIS.
NOW WE KNEW THAT THE FIRE
DEPARTMENTS TRAIN TO HANDLE
FUEL RELATED ISSUES FROM THE BP
REFINERY FROM PHILLIPS 66 UP
THERE CAME OUT THERE WITH THE
FALL.
BUT THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN
TRAINING FROM SEATTLE TO A LOT
OF THESE OTHER DISTRICTS TO
HELP TRAIN THEM ON HOW TO DEAL
WITH EMERGENCIES NOT JUST
INVOLVING HEAVY CRUDE OIL.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE KIND ENERGY
THAT RELEASES BUT ALSO OTHER
TYPES OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
INCLUDING CHLORINE.
>> ALL RIGHT, KING 5
TRANSPORTATION EXPERT GLENN
FARLEY REPORTING LIVE IN
EDMONDS.
AND LET'S TAKE A QUICK LOOK
ABOUT WHAT WE DO KNOW ABOUT THE
DERAILMENT TODAY IN CUSTER
WITHIN THE LAST HALF HOUR, THE
EVACUATION ORDER AROUND THE
CRASH SITE WAS LIFTED FOR THE
TOWN OF ABOUT TEN THOUSAND
PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE.
NOT ALL OF THEM WERE WITHIN THE
HALF MILE RADIUS BUT THAT WAS
THE THE SITE SO TO SPEAK.
FIREFIGHTERS ARE STILL ON THE
SCENE BECAUSE TWO OF THE CARS
ARE STILL ON FIRE.
THE LOCAL SHERIFF IS WARNING
PEOPLE NOT TO TRY TO GET TO
THAT SCENE BUT GET TO YOUR
HOUSE AND STAY IN SIDE.
AND BECAUSE OF THE FIRE, WE
KNOW THAT INVESTIGATORS HAVE
NOT BEEN ABLE TO GET CLOSE
ENOUGH TO BEGIN TO FIND OUT
EXACTLY WHAT DID CAUSE THE
CRASH.
>> AND STEVE , YOU'VE MENTIONED
THIS THAT THIS MONTH MARKS
THREE YEARS SINCE AN AMTRAK
TRAIN DERAILED IN DUPONT.
>> AND WE'VE POINTED OUT SOME
OF THE DIFFERENCES IN WHAT'S
HAPPENING THEN AND WHAT'S
HAPPENING TODAY.
WELL, THREE YEARS AGO IT WAS A
PASSENGER TRAIN THAT WAS MAKING
ITS FIRST RUN ON THE POINT
DEFIANCE BYPASSED SOUTH
OF TACOMA.
IT WENT TOO FAST AROUND A CURVE
AND WENT OFF THE TRACKS.
THREE PEOPLE WERE KILLED AND
MORE THAN 60 OTHERS WERE
INJURED.
AN NTSB INVESTIGATION THAT CASE
FOUND THAT THE TRACKS DIDN'T
HAVE POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL
WHICH WOULD HAVE SLOWED THE
TRAIN DOWN AND AUTOMATICALLY
THE TRAIN DOWN AUTOMATICALLY I
SHOULD SAY.
>> AND THE ENGINEER DID NOT
HAVE PROPER TRAINING AGAIN.
THAT WAS THE CASE THREE YEARS,
STEVE .