Man arrested after cargo train carrying natural gas crashes in downtown West Palm Beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A man has been arrested after a cargo train crashed Friday in downtown West Palm Beach, impacting traffic during the morning commute.

West Palm Beach Fire Rescue said the train hit an unoccupied car as it was heading southbound near Banyan Boulevard and Quadrille Boulevard at around 3:30 am., causing the car to catch fire.

Firefighters extinguished the flames but had to move the car farther down the tracks, near the Brightline station, because it was next to a section of the train carrying propane.

"That train had a compressed natural gas car on it with 30,000 pounds of compressed natural gas that certainly could be a hazard in a fire situation," West Palm Beach police spokesman Mike Jachles said. "The engineers of that train, due to their quick thinking, were able to move that car from where the fire was and get that clear."

West Palm Beach Police Department

Fire-rescue officials said parts of Banyan Boulevard, Quadrille Boulevard and Clematis Street were closed during the investigation but have since reopened.

Police credit the quick action of firefighters and train engineers for preventing a bigger emergency.

"This certainly had the potential to be a recipe for disaster but due to the quick actions of the engineers on the train by getting that train car that contained compressed natural gas away from the fire, away from that hazard," Jachles said. "That certainly played a role, coupled by the quick and very tactically solid response by the West Palm Beach Fire Department hazardous materials team."

WPTV

Jachles said the man police believe ran from the car later ran back onto the tracks. He was arrested for trespassing.

The investigation is still ongoing and police anticipate the man will face more charges.