Evacuation After Fiery Oil Train Crash In Heimdal, North Dakota
No injuries have been reported from the derailment of a BNSF train near Heimdal, North Dakota although nearby residents were evacuated from their homes and were later allowed to return. The Wells County Sheriff’s Office confirmed a BNSF train left the tracks near Heimdal at around 7.30 a.m. and burst into flames after derailing. The fire was extinguished early Thursday, and crews were removing the remaining oil from the tank cars that burned.
This incident is yet another reminder of why the comprehensive rule aimed at improving the safe transport of high hazard flammable liquids was issued just a few days ago.
The new rules require among other things that tank cars be manufactured or retrofitted with an outer metal jacket that should help from the tank cars leaking in a derailment and causing a fire/explosion. The trains were also to be equipped with new braking systems to prevent “accordion-like” pileups in derailments.
Terry Smeader
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