HAMPTON, Iowa — A Union Pacific train derailed early Monday morning in Hampton, Iowa, impacting approximately 44 train cars and spilling asphalt into a creek.
The incident happened around 3:30 a.m. Monday over a bridge near Otter Creek, according to a Union Pacific statement. The train was carrying mixed cargo.
Union Pacific says the spilled asphalt has since been contained, but hazmat teams and emergency response crews are still on the scene as of Monday afternoon.
According to Iowa DNR Wednesday, around 65,000 gallons of asphalt was able to stay within 100 yards of the derailment due to its consistency while being transported.
Derek Gearhart says his friend tipped him off about the derailment. As soon as he heard the news, Gearhart grabbed his drone and camera and took to Hampton.
"It's hard to say how long it's gonna take the railroad to clean this up, but I hear you got some track coming in right now. Soon as you're ready made track, they're gonna go ahead and drop that in with the crane," he said. "That's the fastest way to do it. And they may join it just temporarily until they can get it welded all together, so it's quite a messy. [They've] got a hazmat crew and everything.
The spilled asphalt should be removed by the end of the week, but the train cars will take weeks to remove, says Iowa DNR.
No train crew was hurt in the incident. The cause of the derailment has not been determined.
Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest.