A group of Montana anglers hauled in free booze after a train derailment spilled cases of beer into the Clark Fork River, according to the The Spokesman-Review.
Upon hearing news of the derailment April 2, Saint Ignatius-based fishing guide Stephen Smith gathered a small group and took to the river, The Spokesman-Review reported April 6.
Smith said he “beat search and rescue” to the scene, only to find cases of Coors Light and Blue Moon floating in the water with bentonite clay, according to the outlet.
The angler’s group picked up beer from the river, with Smith saying he believes his “buddy drank one” before they continued on. They also removed cardboard from the water, The Spokesman-Review reported.
The group “sample[d] the river water” along with the beer, and “the preliminary conclusion was the flavor improved in both,” Smith wrote in a Facebook post April 2. (RELATED: At Least 3 Dead, Dozens Injured After Amtrak Train Derailed In Montana)
The train involved in the derailment comprised of 25 cars, one of which was reportedly carrying butane, a form of liquefied petroleum gas. No hazardous materials spilled into the river.
Smith told The Spokesman-Review that despite the appearance of his group as “a bunch of yahoos going down the river,” he is a volunteer EMT in Saint Ignatius and received training at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The group took safety precautions and “did not remove anything from that site. We didn’t step ashore” and they kept the wind behind them, Smith said, according to the outlet. “I knew better. It’s a safety issue. I understand that,” he added.