Cebu_4_2
30th December 2013, 04:53 PM
Train collision in North Dakota ignites oil tankers; no injuries immediately reported
http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/131230-train%20explosion-430p.photoblog600.jpg
Courtesy of Tyler Spriggs via KVLY
A fireball erupts above a derailed oil train on Monday, west of Casselton, N.D.
By Daniella Silva, NBC News
A collision between two trains caused a freight train carrying crude oil to derail in North Dakota on Monday afternoon, triggering an explosion and sending flames shooting more than 100 feet into the air. No injuries were immediately reported.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and local emergency crews responded to reports of a derailment near the city of Casselton, N.D., and discovered the oil train burning, with up to 10 cars fully engulfed, said sheriff’s Sgt. Tara Morris.
The train derailed on the Jamestown line at approximately 2 p.m. local time, Amy McBeth, spokeswoman for BNSF Railway told NBC News, adding that no further information was immediately available.
“There was an explosion, where a car let loose and there was a giant fireball, hundreds of feet in the air,” said Assistant Chief Gary Lorenz of the City of Fargo Fire Department, who was in touch with a crew on the scene.
“It’s burning very strong right now,” he said. “You can see the plume of smoke for 25 miles.”
The collision occurred at a street intersection just before 2:20 p.m., when a westbound BNSF train carrying grain derailed and was then hit by an eastbound train carrying oil, Cecily Fong, a public information officer with North Dakota Emergency Services, told NBCChicago.com. Both trains were owned by BNSF, she said.
Fong said the train carrying grain was approximately 111 cars long and crews were able to get the unaffected cars separated from the burning wreckage and out of the way.
http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/131230-train%20derailment-smoke-430p.photoblog600.jpg
courtesy of Carter Hackmann via KVLY
A plume of toxic smoke rises above the site of Monday's collision near Casselton, N.D.
A code red alert was issued asking residents to stay indoors and Fong said the Federal Aviation Administration was putting flight restrictions in place over the area due to the smoke.
NBC affiliate KVLY (http://www.valleynewslive.com/) in Fargo, N.D., reported that the train emitted a cloud of toxic smoke but that prevailing winds were blowing the smoke away from Casselton.
A Federal Railroad Administration spokesman told NBC News it was sending investigators to the scene.
Related
Danger on the tracks: Unsafe rail cars carry oil through US towns (http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/05/20343288-danger-on-the-tracks-unsafe-rail-cars-carry-oil-through-us-towns?lite)
This story was originally published on Mon Dec 30, 2013 5:37 PM EST
http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/131230-train%20explosion-430p.photoblog600.jpg
Courtesy of Tyler Spriggs via KVLY
A fireball erupts above a derailed oil train on Monday, west of Casselton, N.D.
By Daniella Silva, NBC News
A collision between two trains caused a freight train carrying crude oil to derail in North Dakota on Monday afternoon, triggering an explosion and sending flames shooting more than 100 feet into the air. No injuries were immediately reported.
The Cass County Sheriff’s Office said deputies and local emergency crews responded to reports of a derailment near the city of Casselton, N.D., and discovered the oil train burning, with up to 10 cars fully engulfed, said sheriff’s Sgt. Tara Morris.
The train derailed on the Jamestown line at approximately 2 p.m. local time, Amy McBeth, spokeswoman for BNSF Railway told NBC News, adding that no further information was immediately available.
“There was an explosion, where a car let loose and there was a giant fireball, hundreds of feet in the air,” said Assistant Chief Gary Lorenz of the City of Fargo Fire Department, who was in touch with a crew on the scene.
“It’s burning very strong right now,” he said. “You can see the plume of smoke for 25 miles.”
The collision occurred at a street intersection just before 2:20 p.m., when a westbound BNSF train carrying grain derailed and was then hit by an eastbound train carrying oil, Cecily Fong, a public information officer with North Dakota Emergency Services, told NBCChicago.com. Both trains were owned by BNSF, she said.
Fong said the train carrying grain was approximately 111 cars long and crews were able to get the unaffected cars separated from the burning wreckage and out of the way.
http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/131230-train%20derailment-smoke-430p.photoblog600.jpg
courtesy of Carter Hackmann via KVLY
A plume of toxic smoke rises above the site of Monday's collision near Casselton, N.D.
A code red alert was issued asking residents to stay indoors and Fong said the Federal Aviation Administration was putting flight restrictions in place over the area due to the smoke.
NBC affiliate KVLY (http://www.valleynewslive.com/) in Fargo, N.D., reported that the train emitted a cloud of toxic smoke but that prevailing winds were blowing the smoke away from Casselton.
A Federal Railroad Administration spokesman told NBC News it was sending investigators to the scene.
Related
Danger on the tracks: Unsafe rail cars carry oil through US towns (http://investigations.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/05/20343288-danger-on-the-tracks-unsafe-rail-cars-carry-oil-through-us-towns?lite)
This story was originally published on Mon Dec 30, 2013 5:37 PM EST