Freight Train Carrying Crude Oil Derails in North Dakota
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Kimberly Nelson (via @MatthewFraase)(CASSELTON, N.D.) — A freight train believed to be carrying crude oil derailed in rural North Dakota Monday afternoon, creating a massive explosion.
No injuries have been reported.
Video taken three quarters of a mile away from the disaster near Casselton, N.D., captured the moment one of the train cars exploded.
A mushroom cloud of fire blasted into the sky and then black smoke smothered the surrounding area as the wreckage continued to burn.
Casselton Mayor Ed McConnell told ABC News the cause of the derailment was not immediately known. He said fire crews were on the scene and were waiting for the approximately 30 cars involved to burn themselves out to prevent any environmental threat from the oil.
The train consisted of 110 tanker cars, but McConnell said there were also grain cars nearby and they may have been part of the freighter.
On Monday night the Casa County Sheriff’s Office recommended that residents evacuate the town to protect themselves from smoke, but the evacuation was not mandatory. Authorities established a shelter at a middle school in Fargo for residents who evacuated.
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