US Train Carrying Ethanol Derails in Minnesota, Town Evacuated as Fire Burning for 14 Hours


Last Updated: March 31, 2023, 10:02 IST

A train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire and Minnesota residents within half mile of the crash were ordered to evacuate from their homes. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

Officials said that four ethanol coaches ruptured, which led to the fire that continued to burn more than 14 hours after the accident

Hundreds of residents of a Minnesota town were evacuated after a train carrying ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire on Thursday.

22 coaches, including about 10 carrying ethanol, were derailed and the track remained blocked. Officials said that four ethanol coaches ruptured, which led to the fire that continued to burn more than 14 hours after the accident.

Authorities said there were no injuries and were hopeful that the quick response and cold weather would help limit the impact of this latest crash.

“Numerous” rail cars from a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train derailed around 1:00 am (0600 GMT) in the town of Raymond, about 110 miles (177 kilometers) west of Minneapolis, Kandiyohi County Sheriff Eric Tollefson said in a statement.

Residents within a half-mile of the accident site in the northern US state “were instructed to leave their homes” and advised not to travel to Raymond, the statement added.

“Fire departments from Raymond and numerous area departments responded as several of the derailed tankers started on fire and were determined to be carrying a form of ethanol,” while others were filled with a corn syrup liquid, the statement said.

The nation has been increasingly focused on railroad safety since the February 3 Norfolk Southern derailment that prompted several thousand evacuations in and around East Palestine near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border.

Residents in that town of about 5,000 remain concerned about lingering health impacts after officials decided to release and burn toxic chemicals to prevent a tank car explosion.

Train derailments are common in the United States, with more than 1,164 such accidents in 2022 — or an average of more than three per day — according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

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