CBR train fire burns after Illinois derailment

A one-mile evacuation is complete and firefighters near Galena, Ill., on Friday, March 6, 2015 continued to monitor an ongoing fire caused by the derailment of six BNSF crude-by-rail tank cars near the Mississippi River in northern Illinois.

The derailment, which occurred Thursday, March 5, in the early afternoon, occurred at a sight difficult for firefighting equipment and personnel to access, causing crews to pull back from the site and allowing the fire to continue.

As Thursday ended, two tank cars were in flames; officials increased the number to five early Friday. No injuries have been reported in the derailment, affecting a 103-car train. The cause for the incident is not yet known. The train reportedly was carrying oil from North Dakota’s Bakken region.

Galena City Administrator Mark Moran told a news conference late Thursday that only two people needed to be evacuated, prompted in part by the presence of a propane tank near the derailment.

Initial reports cited eight tank cars being derailed, with later reports Thursday adjusting the number to six. On Friday, some media reported 21 cars had derailed.

BNSF on its website Friday noted, “All tank cars involved in the incident were the unjacketed CPC-1232 model with half-height head shields.” Those cars have been employeed to meet higher safety standards than offered by DOT-111 tank cars, still the majority of tank cars used on the U.S. rail network.

Local authorities were monitoring the Mississippi River for possible spillage or leakage into the waterway.