Oil Train Cleanup Continues as People Still Kept from Homes

MOSIER, OR - Around 100 residents of Mosier are still be kept from their homes two days after an oil train derailed outside of their town.

And it's not much better for residents who have not been evacuated.

People still in their homes can only drink the tap water if they boil it first. And they are still not allowed to take part in any activity that results in water going down the drain - that pretty much means no flushing the toilet and no showers.

Also, Saturday investigators discovered that the Mosier waste water treatment plant and sewer lines are not working because of damage from the train derailment.

It was also disclosed that the derailment Friday - which was originally described as 11 cars of the 96 car derailing and two burning - was actually 16 cars derailing and four cars burning.

On Saturday, investigators also discovered a light oil sheen on the Columbia River, about six feet off shote by the mouth of Rock Creek.

They placed about 1,000 feet of boom to contain the sheen and environmental crews are still working to determine the cause of the oil.

And I-84, which had been shut down for miles while the fire was being fought, very early Saturday morning..

The derailment lead to the closure of I-84 in the area. The burning cars put off smoke that could be seen for miles. There are no reports of injuries.

The 96-car train was carrying oil from the Bakken Fields in North Dakota.

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Investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration are on scene of the derailment working with deputies from the Oregon State Police and the Hood River County Sheriff’s Office as well as officials from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The Oregon Department of Forestry also dispatched fire crews to help fight the blaze, which was extinguished around 2 a.m.

The train is operated by Union Pacific and was headed to Tacoma, Washington. It had started in New Town, North Dakota and had stopped in Eastport, Idaho.

Students at Mosier Elementary School were evacuated and transported to Wahtonka High School.

Governor Kate Brown says she is monitoring the situation.

"I am grateful to local first responders, HazMat teams, and other state agencies for doing their best to keep the community of Mosier safe," she said.

I-84 is completely shut down in the area between The Dalles and Hood River. Traffic is being re-routed to SR-14 across the river in Washington.

Sierra Club’s Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign Director Lena Moffatt released a statement saying the crash should be seen as a cautionary incident.

“History has repeatedly shown just how deadly and dangerous oil train crashes can be," she said. "Simply put, transporting oil by rail -- or by any method -- is a disaster waiting to happen. The safety and wellbeing of our communities must be put ahead of profits for Big Oil.”

Officials from Columbia Riverkeeper held a community awareness march in Hood River starting at noon at the Overlook Memorial Park

Patch will update this breaking news story.

Photos: Columbia Riverkeeper