Houston Fire Department responding to train derailment near East End apartment complex

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Houston Fire Department officials are investigating a train derailment in the East End area on Wednesday morning.

In a statement, Union Pacific said seven empty rail cars derailed at about 8:30 a.m.

HFD said hazmat responded to the scene, and by 11 a.m., fire officials gave it the all-clear after no leaks were found.

ABC13's SkyEye flew over the incident on 66th Street, next to an apartment complex, where several railcars were on their sides or leaning off the tracks.

"It shook the whole place," Mark Garcia, who lives in the apartment complex and witnessed the derailment, recalled. "It literally shook the whole apartment complex on this side."

The fire department said a building in that complex was evacuated as a precaution, but that no injuries were reported.

"The train crew was not injured, and there were no releases," Union Pacific stated.

The cause of the train coming off the tracks is unknown, but an investigation is ongoing.

The Federal Railroad Administration tracks train derailments. Data from the agency shows that from 2022 through August 2025, there have been 83 train derailments across Harris County.

The figures show that 63 of them were Union Pacific trains. The top reason for derailments, the data shows, was failure to control.

For updates on this story, follow Nick Natario on Facebook, X and Instagram.