Wreckage from Sutter County train car fire still sits, residents concerned for public safety

YUBA CITY — Nearly three weeks after a cargo train caught fire on tracks north of Yuba City, the wreckage remains as residents were left wondering when it's going to be cleared.

In the wreckage, there have been several fires that happened since the original, and people have been rummaging through the debris.

Nearby neighbors are worried someone could get hurt. There were also lithium batteries onboard the train, according to Union Pacific Railroad.

"We are concerned. If there were lithium batteries on that train, what's going into our aquifer right now? What's going into our drinking water?" said DJ Crist, campus manager of the Church of Glad Tidings.

The church is across the road from where the wreckage lies. The cause of the incident is still unknown.

"We have a school on this property. We have people on this campus seven days a week. That fire flares up at least once a week, starts burning again. We get black smoke that comes over here. What's in that smoke?" Crist said.

Sutter County Battalion Chief Richard Epperson said the cleanup efforts are in the hands of Union Pacific.

CBS13 reached out to Union Pacific but they were not available for an interview.

They told us they do have crews scheduled to arrive for cleanup Friday. They didn't say exactly what was on the train but did acknowledge there were lithium batteries. They said the batteries weren't impacted by the fire.

Epperson said the lithium batteries have already been removed, but it's unclear what else was left behind.