Derailed train catches fire outside Rockwood

By Sarah Walker Caron, Bangor Daily News Staff

A Canadian Pacific freight train derailed in Sandwich Academy Grant Township outside of Rockwood in Somerset County early Saturday, setting the surrounding forest on fire, according to the Maine Forest Service.

The derailment happened about 8:30 a.m. when three locomotive engines and six rail cars left the track and caught fire, causing the surrounding forest to burn as well, the forest service said. The fires were contained and being monitored. The rail cars were carrying lumber and electrical wiring, the forest service said.

Three railroad workers sustained injuries not considered life-threatening, the forest service said. They were taken to an undisclosed hospital.

Although additional rail cars were carrying hazardous materials, those cars did not derail and were not at risk of leaking or catching fire, according to the forest service.

“It is also the assessment of officials on the scene that there is no threat to public health or safety, though officials continue to ask that the public avoid the area,” the forest service said.