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Firefighters respond to derailed train in Gardner

GARDNER, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Firefighters responded to a derailed train in Gardner Wednesday.

Four train cars at the back end of a roughly 80-car train somehow tipped over and blocked Main Street in Gardner. There are ways to detour around it, but it was a shock for neighbors who heard it all.

Pam Melason, who lives right next to the train tracks, said, "All of the sudden there was a loud boom and all four cars had tipped over."

She went on to say that she's never had any problems with the trains before.

"It doesn't go too fast through here because the station is right down the street," she said.

However, on Wednesday, just before 4 p.m., somehow four rail cars went off the tracks and tipped over.

"Obviously, our main concern was just that no one was hurt because the way it tipped, the cars can be that close on the other side," Melason said.

Apparently, the train cars struck some electrical wires too, but no one lost electricity and no one was injured. The only damage was to the train cars and what they were transporting: vehicles.

It will take some time to get the scene cleaned up, but Gardner's mayor says there are other ways to get around the area in the meantime.

"Luckily in a 100 yards down where the train had stopped and was blocking Route 2A, that's the major thoroughfare. This is more of a side crossing, we can easily detour around this," Mayor Mark Hawke said.

Hawke said south Main Street will be closed for at least a day or two until they can move the cars.

The cause of the derailment is still under investigation.