For the second time in as many months, a train loaded with wine derailed in Lackawanna County on Wednesday.
At about 1:30 p.m., crews rushed to the area behind ID Logistics in the Stauffer Industrial Park on Continental Street in Scranton.
They found three train cars that had left the track and were sitting at a 30-degree angle. A locomotive containing 2,500 gallons of fuel oil had also left the track and was leaking diesel fuel.
Scranton firefighters used putty to contain the fuel, as well as specially designed pools to catch the liquid under the derailed locomotive, limiting the spill to about 50 to 70 gallons of fuel.
Crews contained the spill to an area around the locomotive, preventing fuel from reaching nearby waterways, a spokesperson for the state Department of Environmental Protection said.
The train tracks sit near Lucky Run, a tributary of Keyser Creek, which was not affected by the derailment.
One of about 10 train cars was carrying wine, according to fire officials.
Cleanup was started at the site and the railroad was working with a third-party contractor for cleanup, a DEP spokesperson said.
“DEP responded to the derailment Wednesday afternoon and ensured that fuel that spilled from the railcar did not affect local waterways,” the spokesperson said. “DEP will follow up to ensure that the spilled fuel is cleaned up properly and any affected soil is properly removed and disposed.”
Attempts to reach representatives of the Reading & Northern Railroad on Thursday for comment were unsuccessful.
The year’s first instance of a train derailment involving wine in Lackawanna County occurred Jan. 26 in Old Forge.
During that derailment, three of 13 cars were carrying wine.
As in the incident at the Scranton/Taylor line on Wednesday, there were no injuries reported and there was no impact on local waterways.