Shane Roth grabbed this photo of a derailed train near Dunmore on Friday before evacuating his home with his family. Residents of the area were evacuated to the Cypress County office in Dunmore.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
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Residents within a six-and-a-half kilometre radius poured into the Cypress County office in Dunmore after a train derailment just west of Irvine on Friday afternoon.
An evacuation was ordered after 4 p.m. due to the train derailment involving damage to the railway line, disruption of road access and chemical exposure.
Despite heavy traffic, residents, their families and their pets found their way to the office in search of information around the derailment and what to do next.
“It happened right in our backyard – we heard a loud bang and knew something wasn’t right,” said Irvine resident Shane Roth. “We saw fires along the tracks and we saw all of the train cars piled up like chopsticks.
“We didn’t smell anything but we left right away.”
Roth, his wife, four kids, two cats, dog, lizard and rabbit were camped in the office parking lot with many in the same situation.
“It was scary,” said 11-year-old Hayden Roth.
The County office provided pop and water for those waiting and it allowed people to stay inside in the air conditioning.
“There was a person from Cypress County who came and knocked on our door to tell us that we had to leave,” said Andy Oakes. “We had to evacuate for the floods in 2010 and even last weekend we had the fires.
“In a time like this it’s important to just follow instructions and do what you’re told to do.”
Irvine resident Robert Mulligan says he heard about the evacuation around 4:30 p.m. and said he knew it was important to act quickly.
“I just grabbed the animals, put them in cages and got them out of there,” he said. “I’ve been there for about six months so this is all new to me.
“I just grabbed my box of pills and the pets and got out.”
Many people had plans for the night, while others waited to hear if they could go home. Roth says it is important to always know how to act in case of an emergency.
“It’s scary, for sure,” said Roth. “You see this kind of stuff happening on TV and then just like that it’s in your backyard.
“It’s just important to be prepared for situations like this and it’s important to communicate during an emergency – you need to be prepared for stuff like this.”
CP Rail announced Friday it had crews working on scene at the derailment.
At 9 p.m. the County announced that Highway 1 was reopened, but access to the Hamlet of Irvine was still closed off.
The evacuation effected residents of Irvine as well as the nearby Mavista Acreage.
“Residents of the Hamlet of Irvine are being told to evacuate immediately as a precaution for their safety, health and well being,” said Cypress County officials in a media release released early Friday evening.
“A train derailment today with potentially hazardous products near the Hamlet of Irvine has resulted in a mandatory evacuation of the community.”
Firefighting crews and RCMP were on scene to stabilize the situation and assist with the evacuation.
CP Rail send a statement out Friday evening.
“At approximately 3:20 pm local time, a CP train derailed just east of Irvine, Alta. CP has dispatched teams to the site.”
Cypress County for the second time in a week has declared a state of local emergency and is working with stakeholders and partners to assist with the evacuation.
As a result of the train wreck, Highway 1 eastbound between the Highway 41 S. intersection and Walsh was closed for several hours.
Cypress County CAO Tarolyn Aaserud, who is an Irvine resident, says it was unfortunate for the county to declare another state of emergency in a week’s span.
“It’s something that happened and when it’s safe to do so we’ll be able to get back home,” she said.
There were approximately 200 people evacuated.
“They’ve been coming here and letting us know where they’re at. Everyone co-operated so awesome,” she said.
She said the county had the utmost confidence in its emergency responders.
“The evacuation took place quite quickly and to my knowledge there was no one that had become sick,” said Aaserud.
The smoke had dissipated from the area as fire crews did their job putting the fire out and now CP has taken over cleaning up.
“Now CP Rail has taken control of the scene and they’re doing the appropriate measure to deal with the goods on the train,” she said.
“I just really want to thank the residents of Cypress County and they know we’ve had some trying times in the last couple of weeks and we really appreciate everyone’s patience.”
