Cleanup was underway Thursday after more than a dozen train cars carrying roughly 40 shipping containers of non-hazardous products were derailed in Mecca, with no injuries or evacuations reported.
The incident was reported shortly after 5 p.m. Wednesday in the area of Parkside Drive and Highway 111, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.
The agency stated that a fire department hazmat unit, county Department of Environment Health, Union Pacific personnel and law enforcement were called in and remained on site while cleanup was conducted.
A spokesperson for Union Pacific told City News Service on Thursday that roughly 40 rail cars on a Union Pacific train derailed in the area of Parkside Drive and State Park Road and that hazardous materials were not involved. Cleanup was being conducted by Union Pacific. The cause of the derailment was not immediately known.
Highway 111 at Parkside Drive remains closed as of Thursday morning. California Highway Patrol urges motorists to us SR-86 as an alternate route.