(Lawrenceville, Ga., July 21, 2015) – Gwinnett County Firefighters responded on Tuesday, July 21, 2015, at 11:58p.m., to a report of a diesel fuel leak from a ruptured fuel-saddle tank on the side of a train locomotive/engine.  The call came from CSX Railroad advising that the train struck a tree that was down over a part of the railroad tracks near Main Street in Lilburn.  The train came to a stop at the crossing at Rockbridge Road.  There was no train derailment involved and all cars remained intact on the tracks.

               Firefighters worked to contain the fuel product (approx 250 gallons) on the ground as FD hazmat technicians plugged the ruptured tank.  Firefighters quickly constructed a dike to contain the fuel adjacent to the train tracks.  The area was away from any exposures and did not pose an immediate threat to the waterway or the environment.

               Rockbridge Road was closed on both sides of the tracks due to the train blocking the railroad crossing.  Lilburn Police diverted traffic away from the incident site.  The road remained closed until the train was cleared from the crossing.  CSX had to temporarily stop all rail traffic in the area due to the incident.     

               CSX hazmat representatives and Hepaco worked to offload the remaining fuel in the ruptured tank and to cleanup diesel product on the ground.  CSX was also in the process of inspecting the track and the train before returning to normal operations.  The remaining train cars were connected to a second locomotive and to continue on its route.  There were no injuries and no evacuations reported. 

EQUIPMENT AT THE SCENE INCLUDED: 2-Engines, 1-Medic Unit, 1-Ladder Truck, 1-Air & Light Unit, 1-Battalion Chief and 1-PIO.