Freight train hauling iron ore derails in Mojave Desert

March 28 (UPI) -- A freight train transporting Iron ore has derailed in the Mojave Desert, making it the latest in a series of rail incidents to occur in the United States.

The train derailed Monday morning in the Mojave National Preserve, San Bernardino County fire officials said.

Fifty-five cars, including two locomotives, derailed in the incident, the cause of which was unknown.

San Bernardino County Fire tweeted a minor fuel leak from one of the locomotives was being addressed by hazmat personnel, but there were no reported injuries and no threat to the wider area.

Union Pacific, a freight-hauling railroad, confirmed via Twitter that the train involved was transporting iron ore and that no hazardous materials were onboard.

"Remediation under way," it said.

The incident occurs amid heightened scrutiny of the United States' railway industry following a series of train derailments that began in early February when a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials derailed in Ohio, prompting a controlled chemical release that has residents concerned about damages to their health and the local environment.

Early this month, a second Norfolk train derailed in Ohio, near Cincinnati. In February, one person was killed after a truck crashed into a train, causing it to derail, in southeastern Texas.