SAN DIEGO — A freight train derailed early Monday near Naval Base San Diego, damaging a commercial building and some vehicles alongside the rails, causing no reported injuries.
At least eight cars on the northbound train, which was empty of cargo, went off the tracks for unknown reasons just west of Interstate 5 in National City about 2 a.m.
At least one of the cars struck a building housing CNC Electronics West Inc., a parts supplier in the 1400 block of Tidelands Avenue, leaving cracks on the exterior of the structure. No one was inside the building at the time, and no one on the train was hurt, authorities said.
A structural engineer was called in to determine if the damaged building remained structurally sound.
The accident also downed several trees, sending them toppling onto unoccupied vehicles in a parking lot at the electronics business.
The National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the derailment, which forced closures of stretches of Cleveland Avenue, Tidelands Avenue, 19th Street and 24th Street. Police advised the public to avoid the area of Civic Center Drive at Tidelands Avenue through West 19th Street and Tidelands Avenue.
Though firefighters were working to clear the area, ultimately Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway will be responsible for the cleanup, National City Fire Marshal Robert Hernandez said.
Officials with the railroad company planned to bring in a large crane to get the derailed freight cars back onto the tracks. They hoped to have the task complete before dark, Hernandez said.
A spokesperson for BNSF Railway provided the following statement:
"BNSF had 8 empty auto rack cars derail this morning in National City near Civic center drive. One car is leaning into a building. No injuries and cause is under investigation."
BNSF say they will be working throughout the day to clear the cars and resume service on that section of track that was damaged.
