Train Carrying Hazardous Materials Derails and Catches Fire in North Dakota

A Canadian Pacific train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire in a remote area of North Dakota on Friday, marking the latest in a series of train derailments in the United States.

A Canadian Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught fire in a remote area of North Dakota on Friday, raising concerns about railroad safety.

The incident occurred around 3:45 a.m. in a marshy area surrounded by farmland approximately 140 miles northwest of Fargo. According to Andrew Kirking, emergency management director for Foster County, 29 cars of the train derailed.

Train Carrying Hazardous Materials Derails and Catches Fire in North Dakota

Video footage from the scene showed intense flames and thick black smoke rising high into the sky, with the fire burning for at least 12 hours after the initial derailment. Kirking reported that 10 to 15 of the rail cars had caught fire.

By late afternoon, responders were able to suppress the flames and had made progress in extinguishing the fire. However, water on both sides of the tracks posed challenges in bringing equipment close enough to the scene.

Train Carrying Hazardous Materials Derails and Catches Fire in North Dakota

No injuries were reported, with the engineer and conductor escaping safely. The threat to nearby residents appeared minimal, as the wind was carrying the smoke away from the town of Bordulac.

The cause of the derailment remains under investigation. The cars were carrying anhydrous ammonia, sulfur, and methanol, with ammonia posing the greatest risk.

Train Carrying Hazardous Materials Derails and Catches Fire in North Dakota

Bill Suess, spill investigation program manager for the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality, warned that exposure to high concentrations of ammonia in the air could cause severe health effects, including blindness, lung damage, or death. Exposure to lower amounts could result in coughing and irritation of the nose and throat.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the derailment. CPKC acquired Kansas City Southern for $31 billion in 2021, aiming to create a 20,000-mile rail network connecting the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Train Carrying Hazardous Materials Derails and Catches Fire in North Dakota

CPKC has initiated its emergency response plan and launched a comprehensive response effort.

The incident marks the latest in a series of train derailments in the United States, raising concerns about railroad safety. Two weeks ago, a freight train derailed in Matteson, Illinois, prompting the evacuation of nearby residents due to a leaking car containing liquefied petroleum gas.

Last year, a 70-car CPKC train hauling hazardous materials derailed in North Dakota, about a mile southeast of Wyndmere in Richland County. No injuries were reported in that incident, but 31 of the cars derailed, some carrying hazardous materials. Crews identified a leak of liquid asphalt, but no fires occurred.

A month earlier, a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying 38 cars derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, spilling hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air and forcing residents to evacuate.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.