Cleanup continues after train derailment and propane leak east of Cranbrook, B.C.

Cleanup is still underway east of Cranbrook, B.C., after a train derailment caused a propane leak and forced some rural properties along the Kootenay River to be evacuated this weekend.

In an update Sunday, company spokesperson Patrick Waldron said repairs to the track were completed early Sunday morning and the corridor has since reopened to rail traffic following safety inspections.

Crews continue to remove derailed cars from the site, he said.

The rail company said on Saturday that the derailment occurred in a remote area about 16 kilometres east of Cranbrook in southern B.C., and a preliminary assessment showed about 12 cars were involved, including some carrying wood products and three tanker cars carrying propane. 

The Regional District of East Kootenay issued an evacuation order for five nearby properties and declared a state of local emergency, but lifted both on Saturday evening after officials said an assessment showed no remaining risk to the public.B.C.'s Ministry of Environment and Parks said most rail cars involved in the incident contain non-dangerous goods, and it noted that lumber from one broken rail car fell into the Kootenay River. 

One propane tank car, located on land, was reported to be leaking, it added. 

Propane is generally stored in pressurized tanks as a colourless, odourless liquid. When released, it naturally vaporizes and turns into a highly flammable gas — making propane leaks dangerous.

On Sunday, CPKC said the leak on the tanker had been "mitigated."

The company also said crews were able to safely reposition the propane tanker cars near the tracks to prepare for offloading in the coming days, including the tanker that had leaked on Saturday.

One of those ordered out was Jamie Jones, owner of a nearly 400-hectare cattle farm on the banks of the Kootenay River near Wardner.

“There was a fellow waving us down and we walked out to talk to him and he said we needed to get away, as far as we could. There was a propane leak,” Jones said.

Jones, who keeps about 750 cattle, said she had been feeding her animals when responders told her family they needed to leave the property. They were allowed a short amount of time to finish tending to the herd before evacuating.

She said the railway offered temporary accommodations and meal coverage if needed, but her family opted to wait it out in their vehicle, get some food and monitor updates. By Saturday evening, they were told they could return.

“We could still smell the propane,” she said.