On 16 July 2013 two trains collided head-on, one exploded, and both derailed in Hays KS -- spilling 1500 tons of chicken meal, causing a big fire, and sending train cars into local businesses.
Thankfully no one died on this awful disaster. The UP guy we talked to said it would take many more months to finish the clean up and investigations.
On 08 Aug 2013 Blasterz went by and saw the huge piles of wrecked cars and parts, smelled the awful smell of rotting and fermenting chicken meal, and saw the ruined buildings that were the aftermath of this railway disaster.
From the Hays KS Post, the local newspaper: (
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"Train Derailment Investigation Continues
Published 17 Jul 2013
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are looking into what caused Tuesday morning’s train derailment and fire in Hays. Union Pacific officials were on the scene all night investigating the crash and trying to learn why two trains were on same track going opposite directions.
Three locomotives and 79 cars were part of the westbound train, which was carrying low-grade ethanol. The 20 tankers carrying low-grade ethanol did not derail.
Residents in the area who were evacuated and businesses along east 8th street hope life returns to normal today. Hays Veterinary Hospital is reopened today for regular business hours.
Union Pacific crews will continue to clear the wreckage today. It is unknown when normal operations will resume."
Next article also from the Hays Post: (
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"NTSB: Investigaton of derailment a "long process"
Published 17 July 2013
The rail line through Hays is open again as officials from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) begin their work to determine what caused Tuesday’s train accident. NTSB spokesperson Keith Holloway told Hays Post, “Investigators will look at the rails, the freight cars, and collect a variety of data to help with their investigation. They expect to be on the scene from 3 to 5 days.”
Once the initial examination is completed, the process may take from 12-18 months for completion.
The streets closed due to Tuesday’s train derailment are open today. According to Hays Police, the businesses along east 8th street that were closed are also open. Hays Post spoke to Hays Veterinary Hospital and Keller Furniture. They are both back in business today."
We actually SMELLED the disaster before we saw it -- a strong, horrible eye-stinging and throat-scorching odor had us holding our noses and struggling to breathe. UP guy said it was chicken feed that had fermented, and was not poisonous. Would that put us off poultry for a while? Not in KS (home of AWESOME fried chicken!)
The Hays Post: (
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"What’s That Smell?
Published 6 Aug 2013
Union Pacific employees are cleaning out culverts along 8th Street near Vine Street today, the site of the July 16 train derailment and fire.
Twelve railroad cars derailed.
One car containing chicken feed split in half. The feed was removed and bulldozed into a large pile covered with white tarps.
A very pungent odor is present. It’s offensive to some people and and the city of Hays is getting complaints.
A Hays Public Works Department spokeswoman tells Hays Post this afternoon that Union Pacific Railroad and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment are in charge of cleaning up the chicken feed.
They planned to do the work Friday, but, she says the city was told removal has been delayed due to the recent rains."
More on the awful smell from the Hays Post:
"1500 Tons of Chicken Feed
Published 6 Aug 2013
Union Pacific crews began working Wednesday to remove the chicken meal which spilled during the July 16 trail derailment in Hays.
According to Dan Wells, KDHE Northwest District Environmental Administrator in Hays, there have been some complications delaying the cleanup.
U-P estimates there are about 1,500 tons of the chicken meal on the ground northeast of the intersection of 8th and Vine streets.
Because it’s mixed with soil contaminated with diesel fuel from the wrecked train locomotives, the meal is not allowed in the Ellis County Landfill.
Wells says Barton County is the nearest Subtitle D Landfill which can accept it. But Barton County is experiencing flooding, and another Subtitle D landfill may have to be found.
Union Pacific is sending 20 gondola-style railroad cars from Utah to Hays on which the chicken meal will be loaded.
Although there is a strong odor emanating from the white-tarped pile, Wells says there is no danger to the public. “It may be an offensive smell to some people. I haven’t seen any flies around it and we haven’t had any reports of rodents in that area, ” he says.
The chicken meal was destined for use in the manufacture of cat food."
Just a few days after Blasterz rolled through the Hays Post wrote this: (
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"Train Derailment clean-up update
Published 10 Aug 2013
Union Pacific is making progress on the train derailment cleanup. They report that the contractor responsible for removing the chicken meal has completed transferring the stockpile to the Barton County landfill.
The contractor responsible for removing the damaged rail cars should be completed today.
An odor masking agent has been sprayed on materials in the rail yard and it seems to have been effective in reducing the odor from the chicken meal.
Still on plan is that on Tuesday, August 13, 19 rail cars are scheduled to be delivered to the Hays rail yard. The chicken meal still on the ground will be directly loaded, rather than stock-piled and then loaded.
Union Pacific is working with the contractors to plan on moving the locomotives and to remove the chicken meal from under them.
Union Pacific anticipates having all of the chicken meal removed from the rail yard by August 23, 2013.
Water captured in tanks containing fire foam and diesel fuel is being filtered on-site in accordance with the KDHE-approved work plan."
And finally, the bill arrives: (
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"City Sends Union Pacific Bill for Derailment
Published 16 Aug 2013
Union Pacific now knows just how much they owe the City of Hays for the clean up of the train derailment in July.
The City sent a bill to the train company for reimbursement of over $39,000.
Kim Rupp, director of Finance said at Thursday night’s commission meeting that Union Pacific received the bill on August 1st and they said they would get back to the city if they had any questions or concerns.
The bill includes $13,261.47 for 414.5 hours of labor, $9,138.75 in equipment costs and $16,672.81 in additional costs.
Of the additional costs $3,100 was for the cost of water as well as over $3,000 for the foam used to fight the fire."
Blasters are grateful no one was hurt or killed, damage to adjoining property was not catastrophic, and that the area was reopened to rail traffic and the site restored.