All cars containing hazardous materials have been removed from the scene of a train derailment in North Dakota, and a CPKC official says all sources of the resulting fire have been extinguished.
BORDULAC, ND — All wagons containing hazardous materials have been removed from the location of a derailment in North Dakotaand all sources of the resulting fire have been extinguished, a CPKC official said Monday.
Railroad spokesman Patrick Waldron said in an email that track repairs were completed early Monday morning and train service resumed after safety inspections of the tracks.
No one was injured in the Friday morning derailment, which killed 29 people. CPKC train Officials said cars left the tracks in a swampy area surrounded by farmland about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of Fargo.
The train was carrying anhydrous ammonia and other hazardous materials. Officials briefly issued a warning for area residents Sunday after air monitors detected low levels of anhydrous ammonia, said Andrew Kirking, emergency management coordinator for Stutsman and Foster counties in east-central North Dakota.
No injuries were reported from the leak and the warning was lifted later Sunday when air readings returned to zero, Kirking said.
Exposure to high levels of ammonia in the air can cause burns to the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract, and can lead to blindness, lung damage or death, health officials say. Exposure to lower levels can cause coughing and irritation of the nose and throat.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Railroad Administration are investigating the cause of the derailment.