USA: Emergency crews responded to four Union Pacific train derailments in Texas on August 20, 2026, with initial reports indicating about 44 affected railcars and no injuries.

Overturned Union Pacific railcars after the Central El Paso derailment
Union Pacific railcars after the derailment in Central El Paso on Aug. 20, 2026. Photo: FitFam / KFOX14.

The four incidents were reported at separate locations across the state. The largest of them by reported car count — in Central El Paso — was not among the three derailments contained in the original set of reported incidents. Based on initial reports, the derailed equipment totalled approximately 44 railcars: 18 in El Paso, ten in Mansfield, approximately ten in Macdona and six east of Marshall.

The hazardous-material picture differed materially from site to site. Only El Paso authorities reported spilled material. Near Marshall, derailed tank cars carrying hazardous materials did not release their contents according to the initial response. Mansfield drew a hazmat response without a reported leak, and Union Pacific reported no spilled material at Macdona.

Central El Paso: 18 cars derailed, 10 overturned

The El Paso derailment was reported at 11:43 a.m. local time near Interstate 10 and Cotton Street/Missouri Avenue. Eighteen railcars derailed and ten overturned.

The El Paso Fire Department classified the response as Hazmat Condition 2 and committed 17 fire units and approximately 40 firefighters, including the Hazmat Task Force. Authorities reported spilled material at the site but determined that it presented no threat to the public. The substance was not publicly identified.

TxDOT inspected nearby bridge structures and reported no damage. Multiple streets and ramps were closed during the response; barricades were being removed and streets were reopening on Friday morning. No injuries were reported, and the cause has not been established.

Mansfield and Macdona: two 10-car derailments about 15 minutes apart

Ten Union Pacific railcars derailed at approximately 2:30 p.m. at Seeton Road and South Holland Road in Mansfield. No product leak was reported. Mansfield Fire extinguished a small grass fire associated with the derailment.

Mansfield police and fire units responded alongside Grand Prairie hazmat personnel and Union Pacific crews. South Holland Road and nearby routes were closed, and the roadway remained blocked after local fire units cleared the incident. No injuries were reported and the cause is under investigation.

Roughly 15 minutes later, at approximately 2:45 p.m., approximately ten railcars derailed near U.S. Highway 90 and LaCoste Road in Macdona, about 20 miles west of downtown San Antonio. Union Pacific reported no spilled material. Bexar County sheriff’s deputies provided traffic control while Union Pacific began cleanup. The cargo was not publicly disclosed and the cause is under investigation. No injuries were reported.

Harrison County: six cars, including hazmat tank cars, without a reported release

Six railcars derailed east of Marshall in Harrison County, along FM 1998 east of Pumpkin Center Road. The derailed equipment included tank cars carrying hazardous materials.

Fire Chief John Pritchard of Harrison County ESD 3 said no hazardous materials had spilled during the initial response. FM 2199 was closed near FM 1998 while crews evaluated the scene. No injuries were reported. The exact derailment time was not confirmed in available public reports, and the cause has not been established.

What remains unknown

No evidence currently establishes a shared cause or an operational connection between the four events beyond the operator, the state and the date. Causes remain unestablished or under investigation at every site.

Complete train consists and hazardous-material manifests have not been disclosed, and the final number and types of railcars involved at each location may change from the initial counts. The identity and volume of the material spilled in El Paso remain undisclosed. It is not confirmed whether federal investigators will open formal investigations into any of the four derailments.

Practical effects

The immediate consequences reported at the four sites were road closures, traffic control and cleanup operations rather than casualties or evacuations.

In El Paso, multiple streets and ramps were closed before reopening began the following morning. In Mansfield, South Holland Road and nearby routes were closed and the roadway remained blocked after local fire units cleared the scene. In Bexar County, deputies handled traffic control while Union Pacific started cleanup. In Harrison County, FM 2199 was closed while crews assessed the derailment. Final cleanup costs, infrastructure damage and service disruption have not been reported.

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