Federal Railroad Administration investigating Lakeland train derailment

By: Andrew Krietz and Samantha Mitchell, WTSP

LAKELAND, Fla. -- A CSX train hauling molten sulfur derailed early Monday, prompting officials to tell residents to close their windows and stay indoors for several hours.

A fire truck returning from a medical call around 1:50 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27, came across several rolled over and mangled train cars, according to the Polk County Fire Rescue. The crash became a hazmat situation when crews discovered the chemical.

The incident happened in the area of Kathleen and Strickland roads in Lakeland. Both roads remain closed as CSX staff work to clean the spill.

A further investigation discovered that nine rail cars were derailed in total and two of the rail cars leaked. Several thousand gallons of molten sulphur leaked from one car and cooking oil spilled from the other car.

CSX has not detected any impact on the surrounding environment so far…