Plaster Rock derailment fires out, evacuees going home

Most evacuees from the CN Rail derailment near Plaster Rock, N.B., are heading homeSaturday, but they're being warned not to use tap water.

Officials saideveryone except for those who live inside a 100 metre safety zone are ableto return to their houses.

"I have a medical condition multiple chemical sensitivity so even before I was told to evacuate, I started packing things up to get out," said Kim Geneau."But with this derailment I've been taken out of my clean environment, which was inside my house."

She was relieved to be heading home.

Bottled water for residents

Free bottled water was delivered to most houses, as residents are being told to not use the water until tests can confirm it is safe. The derailment site is contaminated with oil, but it's not known if it affected the water.

Two fires caused by Tuesday'sderailment burned out by Saturday morning and the line is open. Trains resumed running Saturday afternoon.

CN spokesman Jim Feeny said the controlled burn was ignited Friday to allow crews to move the cars safely.

Feeny said crews are making good progress. The derailedcars have been cleared off the track and crews are repairing the damaged track. He said 150 workers are on the scene near Plaster Rock, N.B.

Officials met with residents at 11 a.m. to update them on the situation.

On Tuesday, nineof the train's rail cars carrying oil, butane and propane burst into flames. The materials posed a hazard to residents, inspectors and salvage workers.

The Transport Safety Board of Canada described it as a mixed freight train with 122 cars, three head-end locomotives and one remote locomotive. It left Toronto bound for Moncton. The board said 19 cars and the remote locomotive derailed.

"Investigators found a cracked wheel on a car near the front of the train. This wheel moved on the axle and lost track gauge, resulting in the derailment of that wheel set.There was also a broken rail," investigators reported.

Investigators found 17 broken rails along the 16 kilometres of track before the pile-up.

• Transportation Safety Board of Canada report on Plaster Rock derailment

On Friday, officials conducted a controlled burn to accelerate the blaze and bring the fire to an end.

About 150 people living in 50 homes within a two-kilometre radius of the derailment site in Wapskehave spent three nights out of their homes since the derailment. Most arestaying with family or friends.

TSB investigators will gatherand analyzeevidence from the incident before drawing conclusions about what caused the derailment and fire.