The wreckage from a train derailment in Normal on Feb. 13 is shown. Pantagraph journalists tirelessly covered the crash and the aftermath.
After railcars jumped the tracks near uptown Normal last weekend, Pantagraph staffers were on the scene talking with neighbors and others to piece together what happened during the frightening crash, which left debris just feet from buildings.
The derailment sounded like an earthquake, reporters Kevin Barlow and Sierra Henry wrote. David Proeber's incredible images and video showed the enormous debris zone. These journalists weathered frigid conditions to bring you the story.
Ultimately, with editors working other angles, numerous updates and breaking news alerts were sent out about crossing closures, the impact on Amtrak trains and even the history of other area train wrecks. That was all packaged together for our print and digital audiences with local voices and context, then followed up with continued coverage as the cleanup started.
It's that kind of urgency we strive for every day, and the derailment was just the start of an especially busy news week:
- We dispatched reporter Lenore Sobota on her day off to cover a fire at Sugar Creek Apartments in Normal even as the train coverage was happening. Proeber was there, too, shooting video and getting more photos.
- Sobota and others reported on the big snow storm and the local impact. We provided an updated list of closures and details about what to expect next.
- Within hours of finding out about the death of former Bloomington Mayor Judy Markowitz, Barlow and reporter Timothy Eggert produced a touching feature about her life with observations from those who knew her. Our extensive archive of photos provided vibrant images unavailable anywhere else.
- Illinois state government reporter Brenden Moore provided extensive coverage of the governor's annual budget address, previewing what was to come and providing post-game analysis from Springfield in a Zoom video with me. And reporters Sobota and Kelsey Watznauer spoke with local educators about what the proposal means for districts.
- Moore and others also reported on the reaction to former House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, stepping down from the Legislature.
- Eggert and Henry provided a deep look at how state COVID grants were distributed locally.
And today, we're offering you the first in a two-part series on the year anniversary of recreational cannabis, plus plenty of other important community journalism.
All of these stories were reported with depth and local perspective, with our reporters working the phones and sources.
This kind of hectic pace is part of the news business. But our coverage wouldn't be possible without the financial support of subscribers.
To members of The Pantagraph and pantagraph.com, thank you very much. Your investment gives us the resources to deliver this kind of reporting.
We take that role very seriously. To put it simply, we want to be essential parts of your life. That is our purpose.
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The Pantagraph's coverage of Normal train derailment
The Pantagraph's coverage of Normal train derailment
A look at all of the photos, videos and stories about the Saturday morning train derailment in Normal.
Cleanup and repair on the track will continue this week, but one of the two lines is now open and trains have been moving through town using the one line.
Firefighters were called to the scene after 10 a.m. Sunday for a fire in two of the cars near the end of Hester Street.
“Upon arrival, firefighters had heavy fire and smoke coming from the spilled contents of at least two semi trailers that were dislodged from the flatbed train cars," said Normal Fire Department spokesman Matt Swaney. "Additional resources were added to the call due to the extreme cold and the accessibility of the scene. Fire crews worked to bring the main portion of the fire under control as quickly as possible due to its proximity to the apartment building at 609 Hester."
Swaney said radiant heat from the fire damaged some of the vinyl siding on the building. There were also safety concerns due to the close overhead proximity of the already damaged power poles and power lines from the derailment.
Firefighters rotated crews while dealing with the fire and used a railroad excavator to help spread out the pile of smoldering debris.
The Federal Railroad Administration has launched a preliminary investigation into the derailment, said spokesman Warren Flatau, but further information was not available. The FRA investigates crashes involving 15 cars or more, or if the crash created significant public interest. The crash happened in uptown Normal, near Illinois State University.
There were no injuries, and damage estimates are still being compiled.
Witnesses reported loud noises and a flash of light at about 5 a.m. Saturday.
Logan Meagher, an ISU student living near uptown Normal, said he heard “what I thought was an earthquake” early Saturday.
The crash initially closed several intersections in Normal early Saturday, but all but three had reopened by noon Saturday. Barricades still were present at some of the intersections Sunday.
Authorities said no hazardous materials were on the train, which was heading northbound.
Tim McMahan, a spokesman for Union Pacific, told The Pantagraph Sunday there was no new information on the crash.
"The cause of the derailment is under investigation," he said. "Union Pacific crews are currently involved in site cleanup."
A section of the train derailed just yards away from a student apartment building at 605 Hester Ave. At least one car was split open, littering what appeared to be a mix of metal, cardboard and other debris across the tracks and ground. Sections of the train were laying on its side against an iron fence between the apartment buildings and train tracks.
Swaney said the Town of Normal, ISU, Ameren Illinois and Union Pacific had evaluated the site and repairs are underway.
NORMAL — Investigators have not yet released a cause for Saturday’s multi-alarm blaze at Sugar Creek Apartments at 606 S. Linden St. in Normal.
The fire destroyed or heavily damaged 12 apartments during a busy weekend for firefighters in which they also handled a massive train derailment in uptown Normal, and handled a Sunday morning fire related to that.
First arriving units reported heavy fire coming from the roof of the structure and immediately called for more resources. A second alarm was struck, which called in off-duty Normal firefighters, and Bloomington Fire Department sent an engine company, two aerial ladder trucks and a warming/rehabilitation unit.
“Firefighters made an aggressive interior attack on the fire initially and began to make progress, however, the fire conditions deteriorated quickly and firefighters transitioned into a defensive mode, which uses large diameter hoses and aerial ladders to spray water into the building from the exterior,” Swaney said. “The fire quickly consumed the majority of the roof structure, which collapsed into the third floor apartments. The first and second floor units were heavily damaged by fire as well, which traveled inside the walls and void spaces between units. What wasn’t damaged by fire and smoke was heavily damaged by the water that was used to fight the fire.”
Because the department was dealing with the derailment, to prevent a shortage of manpower at the fire and to cover responses to other calls in the town, a third alarm was struck, which calls in resources from Bloomington Township, Dale Township, Danvers, Towanda, Carlock and Hudson fire departments. Some resources were used at the fire, while others were used to respond to calls for service in Normal.
Swaney said the fire took more than two hours to bring under control and, because of the extreme cold, water had to pump continuously to prevent the pumps and hoses from freezing.
“Once sprayed, the water created hazardous conditions around the fire ground as it turned to ice,” he reported.
The building was built before the requirement for a fire sprinkler system, but was built with fire walls that extend from the basement to above the roof line and prevent fires from spreading across the attic space through the entire building. Fortunately, firefighters were able to contain the fire to one section of the building and the fire did not break through the fire walls.
The Sugar Creek Apartments are managed by First Site Apartments and are largely populated with students from Illinois State University. First Site and the University are working with the tenants of the building to secure temporary housing until it is safe to return to the undamaged apartments in the complex.
NORMAL — Some residents in Normal have noticed a strange coloring in the water of Sugar Creek, but officials say there is no risk.
“We wanted to pass along some information as soon as we could to help alleviate concerns regarding the strange coloring in the water of Sugar Creek downstream from the train derailment,” the Normal Fire Department said in a statement released Sunday afternoon.
“The material has been identified as non-toxic water-soluble paint that was in one of the trailers that was involved in the fire,” officials said. “A coordinated effort between Union Pacific Railroad, Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District, the Environmental Protection Agency, and Normal Fire Department officials resulted in all appropriate measures being taken to identify the substance and ensure that it was not hazardous.”
The fire department used extra water Saturday during a fire at Sugar Creek Apartments. Because of the extremely cold temperatures, any stoppage in the flow of water would cause water to turn to ice, making it impossible to fight the fire. It took two hours to bring the fire under control.
The Bloomington-Normal Water Reclamation District has already sampled and tested the water and found no hazards to life. The EPA has already been notified as well, and there are no concerns for environmental impacts, officials said.
“Attempts were made to put a boom across the creek to stop the flow downstream, but since the creek was frozen, the pigments flowed downstream under the ice.”
The coloring will dissipate, and there is no risk to life or the water supply. The water and the ice and snow surrounding the creek may remain discolored until it has a chance to thaw, but there is no life or environmental hazard.
Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing all week. The first chance for temperatures to climb above 32 degrees is next weekend, according to the National Weather Service in Lincoln.
Photos: Train derailment south of Uptown Normal
Around 16-17 cars on a northbound freight train derailed south of Uptown Normal about 5 a.m. Saturday.
A train derailment at 5 a.m. Saturday south of Uptown Normal woke ISU students from their sleep and caused headaches for Amtrak travelers.
Chris Coates is the Central Illinois editor. Follow him on Twitter at @ByChrisCoates
