Spill contained after derailment near Golden, B.C.

A hydrochloric acid spill near Golden, B.C.,caused when eight Canadian Pacific Railway cars left the tracks Wednesday morning, was contained by Wednesdayafternoon, officials said.

Hydrochloric acid is extremely volatile when mixed with water, but the frigid temperatures kept the leak contained in a ditch, Golden fire Chief Shawn Tomash said.

The spilltook place in Kicking Horse Canyon near a tributary of the Kicking Horse River, aboutfive kilometres east of Golden.

"We're at a point now where the town of Golden has made the announcement that school will be back in tomorrow, and any community events that were potentially impacted in Golden this evening are back on," CPR spokesman Ed Greenberg said.

He said the reason for the derailment has not been found, but it is no longer a threat to the environment.

Kyle Hale, Golden'semergency program co-ordinator, told CBC News that no evacuation was ordered but officialshad to reach the accidentby rail because there is no road access into the area where the derailment occurred.

The cars that jumped the tracks werepart of an eastbound freight train. One was carrying lumber while others were tankers carrying the hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. The tanker carrying sodium hydroxide did not leak, Greenberg said.