CEAC-2021-01-January

A firefighter sprays foam on a burning, derailed train car Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020, in Custer, Wash. Officials say seven train cars carrying crude oil derailed
and five caught fire north of Seattle and close to the Canadian border. Whatcom County officials said the derailment occurred in the downtown Custer
area, where streets were closed and evacuations ordered during a large fire response. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
Federal Officials Investigate Fiery Oil
Train Derailment By Lisa Baumann | Associated Press
BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Federal and local authorities
were investigating a fiery oil car train derailment north of
Seattle near where two people were arrested in November
and accused of attempting a terrorist attack on train tracks
to disrupt plans for a natural gas pipeline.
Seven train cars carrying crude oil derailed and five caught
fire Dec. 22, sending a large plume of black smoke into the
sky close to the Canadian border. There were no injuries in
the derailment about 100 miles north of Seattle.
Officials were asked about recent attempts to sabotage oil
trains, but they said the investigation was just beginning.
“We’ve not been able to get close enough to the site to
make an evaluation,” Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo said.
Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board along
with the FBI and other federal, state and local agencies were
on the scene.
In November, federal authorities in Seattle charged two
people with a terrorist attack on train tracks, saying they
placed “shunts” on Burlington Northern Santa Fe tracks.
Shunts consist of a wire strung across the tracks, mimicking
the electrical signal of a train. The devices can cause trains to
automatically brake and can disable railroad crossing guards.
Authorities said the pair were opposed to the construction
of a natural gas pipeline across British Columbia when they
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| Chief Engineer