Derailed train destroys homeowner's garage in Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls, N.Y. (WBEN) - A CSX train ran off the tracks in the City of Niagara Falls on Monday, destroying a garage at a residence on the corner of Seneca Avenue and 35th Street.

The owners of the home told WBEN that nobody was hurt when the train derailed and crashed into their garage at around 8:15 a.m. ET.

"The wife called me around 8 o'clock this morning and said, 'Come home, a train went through the garage.' I was like, 'OK,' panicked and left. Came back, and there it is," said Dean Harris in an interview with WBEN.

Harris says the garage is considered a total loss. There is hope their SUV and motorcycle, as well as several other items inside the garage are, at least, salvageable. The garage is set to be taken down sometime Tuesday.

Brenda and her husband, Rich, were at home right across the street the Harris residence when the incident took place.

"I was in the kitchen doing dishes and then I heard the train, like I usually do. And all of the sudden, 'CRASH!', and I said, 'What the hell was that?!'," said Brenda with WBEN. "And my husband, he was in the bathroom at the time, and he said, 'My God, a train just about through Laurie's garage again!' I was in shock. Then I saw the fluid coming down the train."

Hazmat crews responding to the site were able to siphon out a considerable amount of diesel fuel that ended up leaking from the train and into the nearby sewer. The diesel fumes pushed the homeowners of the affected house out of their home and across the street.

The homeowners also told WBEN there was a similar incident that happened at the home more than 30 years ago.

"My wife's grandparents used to own the house, and it happened back in the early '90s. They ran through the garage at that time, too," Harris said.

"We just bought the house about a year or two [prior]. That thing came crashing down, there was two cars in there and destroyed them both. So now that happened again, the same thing," shared Rich with WBEN. "I was in the bathroom shaving, and thought 'What the heck was that noise?' Here we go again."

The home is located right next to a dead end for the railway that veers off from the tracks. It is often used as a turn around point for locomotives.

WBEN has learned the CSX train that struck the garage was remote operated. A crane will help lift the train back onto the railroad tracks Monday afternoon, where it will then be moved away from the scene.

Among the several units to respond to the train derailment on Monday included Niagara Falls Police, Niagara Falls Fire, New York State DEC, CSX and National Grid, who worked to remove power lines for the crane to have access to move the train back on the tracks.

The investigation into the incident remains ongoing...