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Residents of southern Alberta town returning home after evacuation due to train derailment

The hamlet of Swalwell, located northeast of Calgary, was evacuated from their homes after a Canadian National freight train collided with a tanker truck carrying propane on Monday, March 9, 2020. Credit: Kneehill County

Residents of the small southern Alberta community of Swalwell were allowed back into their homes on Tuesday afternoon, after being evacuated nearly 24 hours earlier.

A local state of emergency was declared for the MD of Kneehill County after a train derailment on Monday afternoon, which happened after a propane truck collided with the train.

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Deanna Fontaine said there were no injuries and the train wasn’t carrying any dangerous goods, but the area was evacuated after fuel spilled from the truck.

Fontaine said the radius was set up due to concerns about fumes from the propane.

According to Kneehill County’s website, crews worked overnight to remove the train, which was cleared from the scene by 3 a.m. on Tuesday.

Officials with Kneehill County say a train that collided with a propane truck on Monday, March 9, 2020 has since been cleared from the site. kneehillcounty.com

According to the county, 58 homes in Swalwell and the surrounding area were evacuated.

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By 2:30 p.m., Kneehill County said Swalwell was “safe for re-entry.”

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“Crews have been performing field test screenings of the air quality throughout the day, and levels remain at zero,” the county said.

“Routes are in place for residents to follow back to the hamlet.”

MD of Kneehill County. MD of Kneehill County

Alberta Emergency Alert, which issued the evacuation notice on Monday afternoon, also showed the alert was cancelled as of 3:19 p.m. on Tuesday.

Stay updated by checking the Kneehill County website.

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