RUMFORD — A spokesperson for the Maine Department of Environmental Protection said Monday that the six rail cars that slipped off the tracks Friday evening on Route 108 in Rumford were not carrying hazardous materials.

Jessie Logan, communications director with the DEP in Augusta, said that when a train derails, the DEP receives an email indicating whether or not any hazardous materials were involved.

“From what I can tell, the cars involved in the derailment were mainly boxcars and hopper cars,” Logan said. “I contacted county police, and they told me that there were no hazardous materials spilled, and that the cars were not carrying anything hazardous.”

The trains, which are part of Pan Am Railways in North Billerica, Mass., derailed at about 6:15 p.m. near Smith Crossing on Route 108. No one was injured.

The Springfield Terminal Railway and the Boston and Maine Railroad Police officer on scene Monday afternoon declined to comment on the potential cause of the crash until their investigation was finished. They deferred comment to Cynthia Scarano, vice president of human resources for Pan Am Railways.

Scarano could not be reached for comment Monday evening.

Though a cause has yet to be determined, several people who witnessed the derailment speculated that washouts from last week’s rainstorm might have played a role.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com