Texas Train Collision: 1 Injured, 3 BNSF Employees Missing

Updated at 5:50 p.m. (E.T.)

Panhandle, TX — A BNSF employee was taken to the hospital and three others are missing after two trains collided near the Texas town of Panhandle, officials said. The collision caused a large fire at the scene.

The incident was reported around 8:40 a.m., BNSF spokesman Joseph Faust said in an emailed statement to Patch. A total of four BNSF employees were involved in the incident.

"Rescue efforts are underway at the scene with respect to the three other railroad employees involved in the incident," the statement from BNSF said.

Investigators from the Federal Railroad Administration are on the scene.

The East side of the town is being evacuated because of concerns for a potential grass fire and potential hazardous materials coming over if the wind shifts. Residents can evacuate to the War Memorial Building and possibly the elementary school cafe, according to a Facebook post from the town. Officials say they will look into evacuating the west side if the wind shifts.

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"There is a mandatory evacuation for all persons south of 7th and east of US 207 in the City of Panhandle. All persons north of that area should shelter in place," a statement from the Carson County Sheriff's Office says.

City officials have also asked residents to restrict water usage.

Highway 60 in Carson County is closed, according to Texas DOT. There is no word on when it will reopen.

"It appears that this is the type of incident that positive train control technology (PTC) is intended to prevent," BNSF said in an updated statement based on the limited information they have reviewed.

The railway says they have been aggressively deploying the technology across its network and sections of the track operated by the eastbound train involved in this accident have PTC installed and are being tested.

"The section of track where the incident occurred will be installed later this year," the statement said.

Authorities from multiple agencies are responding to the fire. The Texas A&M Forest Service is helping supply firefighting suppression foam. As of 12 p.m., the sheriff's office said authorities were still working to extinguish the fire. Heavy smoke from the fire is creating a dangerous condition for emergency responders. A "no fly" zone is in place for the area near the fire.

"The Carson County Emergency Operations Center has been activated and we have officials from Carson County, TCEQ, the Texas Health Department, Texas Highway Patrol,BNSF and other agencies to help coordinate the response," the statement from the sheriff's office said.

The Salvation Army has been requested to assist responders and persons displaced by the incident.

Photos posted by KAMR showed the scene of the collision.

Return to Patch for updates on this breaking news story.

Image Credit: Brent Kirkland @dadofthechamp