Department of Environment investigates after rail car leak closes Saint John highway

The Department of Environment is investigating after a leaking rail car filled with spent sulphuric acid from the Irving Oil refinery forced emergency crews to block off a 150-metre area in east Saint John for several hours Monday, including part of Highway 1.

Crews were called to the CN rail yard near Marsh Street around 3:30 p.m. after New Brunswick Southern Railway personnel noticed the liquid spilling from the top of a tanker, said deputy fire chief Mike Carr.

Sulphuric acid is corrosive and toxic, and the spent product from the refining process "may have other chemicals in it," he said.

"It's absolutely a serious call."

The Saint John Fire Department responded to the Level 1 hazardous material call, which is the highest level, with four trucks, said Carr.

Crews determined a 150-metre isolation radius was required.

The Saint John Police Force secured the rail yard, then blocked the nearby Crown Street overpass in both directions, Highway 1 eastbound from exit 123 and westbound from exit 125, and the Rothesay Avenue offramp westbound, said spokesman Jim Hennessy.

The fire department also placed a truck with gas monitoring equipment at Rockwood Court "just to make sure with wind swell … that it didn't make its way over there," said Carr.

Crews worked quickly with New Brunswick Southern Railway officials and the emergency response team for RST Industries — "the product handling experts" — to assess the situation and develop an action plan, he said.

"They believe there was a leaky valve or a gasket in the valve at the top of the railcar, and so as the car was being moved during transport, it's under pressure, and the car would basically slosh the liquid inside, and that was spilling out the valve and running down the side."

Hazmat response halted to respond to 2 fires

But before repairs could begin, half the crews had to be diverted to a fire call on Taylor Avenue.

There were no other fire trucks available in the city at that time because of a 2:52 p.m. rescue at Black Beach trail in Lorneville, where a man with a broken leg had to be extracted, using ropes and a basket, said Carr. Thirteen firefighters were tied up with that call for about two and a half hours.

The rail yard was secure when they left and "there was no threat to public safety," he added.

The Taylor Avenue fire involved a fence and a shed quite close to a building, but was quickly knocked down.

While still on the scene, crews were called to another fire on Peters Street. It involved the front steps and a vestibule, but was also quickly brought under control, said Carr.

"And then all the resources were sent back to the hazmat because we couldn't do any action on the rail car until we had the safety crews in place for a fire."

Onramp closed for 6 hours

The RST team depressurized the tanker, replaced the gasket, repressurized the tanker, checked for leakage and found none. The highway was reopened around 5:30 p.m., said Carr.

The Crown Street onramp remained closed until about 9:30 p.m. out of an "abundance of caution" so they could continue to monitor it and check periodically for leaks.

The tanker was then moved to the rail yard on the city's west side before it was expected to continue en route to Beaumont, Texas, said Carr.

No one was injured.

'Contained and neutralized'

Irving Oil officials did not respond to a request for comment.

"The spill was contained and neutralized" by the Saint John Fire Department, New Brunswick Southern Railway and RST industrial response team, said Department of Environment spokesperson Vicky Lutes.

An estimated eight litres of acid leaked, according to Lutes.

"Staff from [the department] were not requested to be on-site at the time," she said in an email.

An inspector has been assigned and is following up regarding remedial action, she added.

New Brunswick Southern Railway (NBSR) spokesperson Mary Keith said the company transports rail cars to and from the Irving Oil refinery, but "the loading and sealing of tank cars is the responsibility of the shipper, not the railway."

"The leaking tank car was not the result of moving the rail car to the rail yard," Keith said in an emailed statement.

NBSR initiated its emergency response protocol around 3:15 p.m. when rail yard personnel observed material leaking from the top of a tanker car that had been picked up from the refinery, she said.

Railway personnel immediately sealed off the area and contacted emergency responders.

Some of the acid spilled on the railway tracks, ties and rock ballast, but did not cause any damage and no repairs are required, said Keith.

Operations on other tracks outside of the secured area continued uninterrupted, she said.

CN declined to comment. It leases the rail yard where the leak occurred to NB Southern Railway, spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis said in an email.