FORT SUMNER, N.M. (AP) — State officials plan to install a historic marker to commemorate the anniversary of a World War II freight train explosion that leveled an eastern New Mexico town.
The marker will be dedicated Friday along U.S. 60 east of Fort Sumner.
State Historian Rick Hendricks says the marker will serve as a reminder that the devastation and loss of life that occurred during the war was also experienced at home in New Mexico.
The explosion happened Nov. 30, 1944, when the train caught fire and the 165 bombs onboard exploded. The blast collapsed roofs and buildings in the community of Tolar and sent large sections of freight cars flying. One person was killed.
John Eastwood's parents were in town when the explosion happened. He's donating a piece of wreckage to place alongside the marker.