Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) has reported that approximately 80,700 litres of aviation fuel were released following a train derailment near Cherry Creek, British Columbia.

In a Wednesday night update (Nov. 5), the B.C. government said preliminary estimates from CPKC indicate nearly 68,000 litres of aviation fuel spilled from the remaining rail car near Kamloops Lake. This follows an earlier release of roughly 12,700 litres from a separate rail car before production transfer.

As of 9:00 p.m. Wednesday, three empty rail cars containing residual gasoline remain at the site, with one perched on a slope and two partially in the water, secured to the shoreline.

CPKC has also provided preliminary surface water quality results from samples collected on Sunday and Monday. The provincial government stated that these results have been forwarded to Interior Health and that ongoing data collection will continue to inform future response measures.

During a Tuesday update, additional sampling was conducted, including at the Tobiano water intake. Officials reported that a fuel odor was detected in the community of Frederick, located across Kamloops Lake.

The derailment, which occurred around 7:00 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 1), involved 17 rail cars. Four were carrying fuel, five contained gypsum, one was loaded with pulp products, and the remainder were empty, though three had previously contained gasoline. Containment booms have been deployed on Kamloops Lake, and rail traffic west of Kamloops resumed earlier this week. CPKC confirmed no injuries and said the cause of the derailment remains under investigation.

Image: British Columbia Government