(Photo; Doug Zink)
CARRINGTON, N.D. (KFGO) – Most of the fire has been extinguished with occasional flare ups as rail cars are moved by crews. Cleanup operations continue today as train cars are removed and more infrastructure is built back up.
The derailed cars involve contained only methanol, anhydrous ammonia and plastic pellets. The plastic pellets contributed to the dark color of the smoke. Air monitoring has consistently shown 0.0% air contamination in the area. Remote monitoring downwind also shows no contamination and a permanent crew station in Carrington – the nearest major population center – to guarantee safety and is reporting negative readings. The ND Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) reported Saturday at 5:00 P.M. that there were no impacts to soil or water outside the incident site.
Responders are now cautiously working toward reclaiming anhydrous and methanol tanks as these tanks still have product inside and were entangled in the crash. Each car must be individually evaluated, relocated and emptied of as much product as possible before they can finally be removed. The situation is being closely monitored by environmental specialists to ensure as little product as possible is lost.
CPKC has developed an in-depth and procedural recovery plan with many safety redundancies. Local first responders have been briefed in on the plan and remain on-site and ready to respond 24/7 should the need arise. Small fires continue to burn as rail cars are removed to gain access. CPKC was the result of a merger last year of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern.
CARRINGTON, N.D. (AP) – Rail cars carrying hazardous material derailed and burst into flames Friday about 10 miles southeast of Carrington, but officials said no one was hurt and the threat to those living nearby appeared to be minimal.
Twenty-nine cars of a CPKC train derailed around 3:45 a.m. in an area surrounded by farmland, said Andrew Kirking, emergency management director for Foster County.
The cars were carrying anhydrous ammonia, sulfur and methanol, said Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager for the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality. The ammonia was the biggest risk.
“Wind has been in our favor on this,” Suess said. “That risk has greatly subsided. Still there — as long as fires are burning.”
Exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in the air can cause burning of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract, and can result in blindness, lung damage or death, health officials say. Exposure to lower amounts can result in coughing and irritation of the nose and throat.
For now, officials do not plan to evacuate nearby residents, but that could change if the wind shifts, Suess said.
Kirking said the cause of the derailment wasn’t known. The engineer and conductor got away safely, he said.
Kirking said it appeared that 10 to 15 of the rail cars caught fire. Video posted on the social platform X showed the blaze burning intensely. It was still burning as of midday Friday. A railroad fire crew was on the scene.
CPKC said in a statement that it has “initiated its emergency response plan and launched a comprehensive, coordinated response.”
CPKC was the result of a merger last year of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern.
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