Residents Near Sienna Plantation Derailment Worried About Possible HazMat Scenarios

MISSOURI CITY, TX -- A train derailment that saw 11 cars leave the tracks and blocked roads near the Sienna Plantation community on Wednesday has residents in the area concerned.

The train, which was not hauling any hazardous materials, left the tracks while enroute to Sweetwater, Texas at about 5 p.m., Wednesday.

"I was like, oh my God. A thousand more feet and it could have been in my backyard," resident Travis Scott told KTRK.

The rail cars were loaded with plastic pellets, so there was no hazardous material clean up needed, and there were no injuries.

The initial call indicated that as many as 20 cars were involved in the derailment, but first responders and railroad police who responded to a train derailment ascertained it was only 11 that left the tracks.

Still, it isn’t the number of rail cars involved, or even the inconvenience of blocked roads, which are still being cleared, as much is the thought of hazardous material being hauled over the rail lines so close to their homes.

As a result, residents are worried and are formulating plans for the worst case scenario.

"We're going to keep a suitcase packed, and I'll put important documents in one location," Scott said.

Meanwhile, a BNSF spokesperson said that the company works closely with emergency responders in different municipalities, so first responders know exactly how to react should a derailment ever happen when box cars carry toxic materials.

The derailment is still under investigation.

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