Train hauling ethanol derails in Minnesota, catches fire, locals evacuated
A train carrying roughly 14 cars of ethanol derailed Thursday morning south of central Minnesota, igniting several cars and requiring the evacuation of local residents.
“Train derailment in Raymond at approximately 1 a.m.,” the Raymond Fire Department announced on Facebook. “The town is being evacuated for precautionary measures.”
The evacuation order was lifted by early afternoon. Officials assured Raymond residents there was “no impact to groundwater.”
Denizens seeking shelter were directed to a local schoolhouse. Firefighters said around 8 a.m. (CST) the derailment and subsequent fire caused no known injuries. The 40-car train was also carrying corn syrup, according to CNN.
The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office reported around 9 a.m. it was working with local, state and federal officials to determine when it would be safe for Raymond citizens to return home.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg tweeted his office is “tracking closely as more details emerge and will be involved in investigation.”
Inhaling ethanol can cause coughing, drowsiness, burning eyes and loss of consciousness, according to the United Nations’ International Labor Organization.
Concern and outrage poured in online following the nation’s latest potentially dangerous train derailment.
“It never ends,” one Minnesotan posted on the sheriff’s office website.
More than 500 people were evacuated from East Palestine, Ohio in February after a train derailment sent plumes of smoke into the air. More than 43,000 aquatic animals died in the aftermath of the toxic spill of vinyl chloride. A month later, a second Norfolk Southern train derailed in Ohio, though that one contained no dangerous chemicals. The train that went off the rails in Minnesota is operated by Texas-based BNSF Railway.
Numerous Minnesota residents asked how they could help Thursday. Authorities advised people to stay away from the crash site but said water and snacks for firefighters could be dropped off at Unity Church in Prinsburg, Minn.
