BELLEMONT, Ariz. - A freight train rear-ended another carrying hazardous materials Tuesday night in northern Arizona, causing three locomotives to burst into flames. One person was missing and at least three people were injured.
The front train was carrying a small amount of hazardous material, but it didn't appear that any had spilled, said Lena Kent, a spokeswoman for Burlington Northern-Santa Fe, which operates the tracks. She didn't know what type of material it was carrying.
The crash, about 10 miles west of Flagstaff, forced about a dozen of the 1,000 people who live in and around Bellemont to evacuate, said Cathy Allen, a Coconino County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman.
One of the injured was in critical condition at Flagstaff Medical Center. The other two were listed in good condition.
The missing person was initially identified by Allen as an engineer. She later said she couldn't confirm that.
The crash temporarily forced the shut down of Interstate 40, the major route through northern Arizona.
The cause of the crash wasn't immediately known.
