WFAA chopper footage from the scene in Palo Pinto County showed mangled train cars piled up off the tracks, heavy smoke, and fire trucks on the side of the tracks.

GORDON, Texas — Crews have begun the process of moving train cars Wednesday after a Union Pacific train derailed Tuesday afternoon about two miles east of Gordon in Palo Pinto County, officials say. 

Almost three dozen cars jumped the track, and sparks from the derailment caught grass on fire near the tracks. Some of the cars carried potentially hazardous chemicals, but none of them leaked, according to Kent Farquhar, assistant fire chief for Palo Pinto County Emergency Services District 1.  

“Lots of reasons to be thankful,” Farquhar told WFAA. “Derailments are always very fluid. You never know what’s going to happen. They could be stable one moment and unstable the next.”\

Palo Pinto County Emergency Services District 1 officials say they haven’t determined a cause of the derailment as of Wednesday and major traffic issues aren’t expected as crews work to move the train cars. 

Officials say cleanup is expected to take several days.

“Most of the grass fires are out and Texas Forestry Service is on scene managing anything that might pop up,” Palo Pinto County Emergency Services District 1 officials said Wednesday. 

The cars left the track around 2 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Coalville Road and Highway 193, not far from Interstate 20. Palo Pinto County is about 90 miles southwest of Fort Worth. 

The first crews who arrived on the scene saw that the cars contained hydrochloric acid, propane, and fuel, Farquahr said.

He knew immediately there was the potential for danger.

“Two dangerous chemicals – one flammable and one caustic,” he said.

Once crews confirmed nothing was leaking, they focused on fighting the fires that were closest to the derailment. 

“The fires weren’t that big, but we didn’t want to take any chances,” Farquhar said.

That meant some of the fires further away kept spreading and flared up even hours later. Farquhar expected to have them all under control by nightfall.

No evacuations were necessary.

Two firefighters did experience issues because of the heat, but did not need to be hospitalized. 

Multiple tanker cars overturned in train derailment in North Texas

This is a developing story. WFAA will provide updates once they become available.Â