Gallup Sun

Monday, Apr 29th

Last update08:13:24 PM GMT

Public Safety

Eastbound, westbound I-40 reopen after derailment fire

Sunday, 28 April 2024 15:13 gallupsun

Eastbound and westbound of Interstate 40 are back open following the derailment fire.

Around 2 pm on April 28, the McKinley County Fire & Rescue Facebook page posted an update saying that both the westbound and eastbound roads of I-40 are now open. Westbound I-40 from mile marker 126 remains open to traffic. Both lanes from eastbound I-40 from mile marker 333 in Arizona is also open following the April 26 derailment fire near the New Mexico-Arizona state line.

Air monitoring continues around the site and results do not indicate any concern for air quality.

All local, state, federal and tribal public agencies, along with BNSF continue to work together within Unified Command to ensure...

Westbound I-40 reopens after derailment fire

Sunday, 28 April 2024 11:35 gallupsun

Part of Interstate 40 has reopened after a train derailed and caught on fire on April 26.

Around 9:30 am on April 28, McKinley County Fire & Rescue announced that westbound I-40 at mile marker 126 is back open to traffic following the derailment fire near the New Mexico-Arizona state line.

Eastbound traffic remains closed while first responders continue accessing the incident location. All evacuations have been lifted.

Air monitoring continues around the site and results do not indicate any concern for air quality.

All local, state, federal and tribal public agencies, along with BNSF continue to work together within Unified Command to ensure the safety of the public.

A hotline has...

Evacuation restrictions reduced near derailment fire

Sunday, 28 April 2024 08:08 gallupsun

As of 7 am on April 28, conditions at the site of the train derailment near the Arizona border continue to improve.

Constant air quality tests are being performed around the site and reportedly do not indicate any concern for the quality of air.

The evacuation area has now been reduced to a one-mile radius from the incident site.

Heavy machinery is being utilized to remove debris, while firefighters and hazmat personnel protect the area from the release of any hazardous materials and control fire growth and development.

BNSF operations is working alongside fire responder teams to safely extinguish the fire.

The New Mexico Department of Transportation its' bridge inspector is...

MCSO needs help finding a missing juvenile

Saturday, 27 April 2024 19:49 gallupsun

The McKinley County Sheriff's Office is asking for the public's help in finding a missing juvenile.

Alyssa F. Becenti, 17, was last seen leaving her residence in Gamerco on April 18. She was last seen wearing all dark clothing.

Anyone with any information about the whereabouts of Alyssa is asked to call Investigator Tsethlikai at the McKinley County Sheriff’s Office at (505) 979-7300 or Metro Dispatch at (505) 722-2002.

Train derailment forces overnight closure of I-40, remains ablaze

Saturday, 27 April 2024 07:58 gallupsun

McKinley County Fire & Rescue was dispatched to a BNSF train that had reportedly derailed and caught fire off Interstate 40 near the New Mexico/Arizona state line around 12:45 pm on April 26.

When they arrived at the scene, they discovered that approximately 35 rail cars carrying mixed freight derailed, six of which contained Liquified Petroleum Gas, otherwise known as propane.

Multiple agencies responded to the incident, including McKinley County Fire & Rescue, McKinley County Office of Emergency Management, Gallup Fire Department, New Mexico State Police and BNSF Railway Police. There were no injuries reported.

To mitigate existing conditions and for the safety of the surrounding...