Urban search and rescue in San Bernardino, California, following a major train derailment in a residential neighborhood.

FA-125 / November 1992

Includes bibliographical references

The City of San Bernardino was struck by two disasters in the same neighborhood during the month of May 1989. These happened just 13 days apart. The first occurred on May 12 at 7:41 a.m. whan a runaway Southern Pacific train travelling at over 100 miles per hour careened off a track causing six locomotives and 69 hopper cars to land on a row of residential houses at the bottom of a 25 foot embankment. Over 6,900 tons of powdered potash being carried in the cars spilld out onto the homes worsening an already disastrous situation. On May 25 at 8:05 a.m., the second disaster occurred at the exact location of the previous one. A 14-inch high-pressure gasoline pipeline buried underground alongside the train tracks ruptured sending the hazardous liquid 200 to 300 feet in the air. A source of ignition was found and an explosion followed with a ball of flame enveloping a secion of the already severely damaged neighborhood. With all of the anguish and destruction, there was one happy event during this tragedy. This was the successful rescue of a man who had been pinned for 15 hours in the wreckage of his mother's home, buried under a huge pile of twisted hopper cars and potash. Rescuers from the San Bernardino Fire Department painstakingly cleared the heavy debris and potash that lay on top of the victim after he was located by search dogs. Once this superb feat was accomplished, medical authorities determined the man did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. This was considered remarkable considering the extremely dangerous situation from which he was rescued