In rural North Dakota on Friday, a train carrying dangerous goods, including ammonia, derailed and then caught fire. Authorities are still unsure of the incident’s origin.
A Canadian Pacific Kansas City train carrying 29 cars was derailed at about 3:45 a.m., throwing the carriages off the track in a swampy area encircled by farmland close to the little village of Bordulac, according to Fox News.
The train engineer and conductor managed to leave unharmed, but there are concerns that the materials and flames could endanger people and the surrounding area. The reason for the derailment is unknown at this time.
The most hazardous of those substances, according to North Dakota Dept. of Environmental Quality spill investigator Bill Suess, was ammonia, which was present in the cars along with sulfur and methanol.
The CDC states that high ammonia levels can burn and irritate the eyes, mouth, throat, and skin. Extremely high ammonia concentrations can cause lung damage or even death.
Foster County’s emergency management director, Andrew Kirking, reported that ten to fifteen cars caught fire.
A local farmer named Doug Zink posted a video of the blazing flames approximately five miles southeast of his land.
Train derailment 5 miles south east of our farm. pic.twitter.com/IPdjzgK9bZ
— Doug Zink (@Zinkfarms) July 5, 2024
The next morning, Kirking reported to Valley News Live that the fire was almost completely out and there was no sign of any air pollution.
The local outlet stated, “An environmental quality study also shows there are no consequences to the soil of [sic] water outside the event site.”
Kirking also mentioned that cleanup work will go on until Saturday.
“It initiated its emergency response plan and conducted a complete, coordinated response,” according to a statement from CPKC that Fox News was able to get.
The matter has prompted an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
A 70-car CPKC train that was also carrying hazardous goods derailed in Richland County, North Dakota, a little more than a year ago. That incident did not result in any injuries or fires, according to Fox News.
