Freight train derailment, fire forces Interstate 40 closure near Arizona-New Mexico line

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — A freight train carrying fuel derailed and caught fire Friday near the Arizona-New Mexico state line, forcing the closure of an interstate highway that serves as a key trucking route.

No injuries were reported in the midday train wreck east of Houck. BNSF Railway spokesperson Lena Kent confirmed the derailment and said there were no injuries to the crew, with company personnel on site working to clear the wreckage. Kent said in an email that the cause of the derailment is under investigation.

Initial passersby posted video and photos on social media of crumpled train cars and billowing, black smoke.

Interstate 40 was closed by authorities in both directions in the area in the early afternoon, directing trucks and motorists off the freeway to alternate routes, New Mexico State Police and the Arizona Department of Public Safety announced.

The train was transporting non-odorous propane and gasoline, and a half-dozen rail cars caught fire and burned for hours after the derailment, New Mexico State Police Lieutenant Phil Vargas said.

Nearby residences and a truck stop were evacuated as a precaution as winds carried away thick smoke and local firefighting crews responded.

“It looks like they’re just letting those (rail) cars burn themselves out,” Vargas said.

Traffic on I-40 backed up for more than 10 miles, though detours were opened on two-lane roads and highways, said Kristine Bustos-Mihelcic, a spokesperson for the New Mexico Department of Transportation. The agency warned Friday evening of an extended highway closure that would increase traffic on other interstate highways, including I-25 and I-10.

The Arizona Corporation Commission that oversees railroad safety said in a social media post on X that 10 rail cars were involved in the derailment and that two were transporting liquid petroleum. The agency sent a railroad inspector to the site.