A freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed in western Arizona, near the state’s border with California and Nevada, late Wednesday, an official said.
The train derailed near the town of Topock, said Anita Mortensen, a spokeswoman for the Mohave County sheriff’s office, adding that she was not aware of any spills or leaks.
The derailment occurred near Milepost 9 off Interstate 40, Mortensen said, in a rural, non-residential area about 20 miles north of Lake Havasu City.
Mortensen said he did not have details about how many cars the train had or what materials it was carrying when it derailed. No injuries have been reported.
The sheriff’s office notified the National Transportation Safety Board and the BNSF railroad, the two entities that would respond to the incident, Mortensen said.
Neither immediately responded to requests for comment Wednesday night.
This incident comes weeks after a freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, starting a fire and prompting the evacuation of hundreds of people. That train was going from Madison, Ill., to Conway, Pennsylvania.
Officials seeking to prevent a runaway explosion intentionally released and burned toxic vinyl chloride from five train cars, sending flames and black smoke into the sky. That left people questioning the potential health impacts, even as authorities maintained they were doing everything they could to protect people.