Montana officials cleaning up after 25-car freight train derails in Sanders County
At least 25 cars of a train traveling through Montana derailed Sunday morning, spilling contents into the area and a local body of water.
The derailment occurred around 9 a.m. in Sanders County, a rural area located approximately 250 miles northwest of Butte.
First responders immediately responded to the scene and told local media there was no threat to the public, however it is unknown what the cars were carrying.
The latest incident comes after recent train derailments in Minnesota, Ohio and South Dakota, each carrying hazardous materials that have caused safety concerns.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, there were some 1,164 train derailments in 2022. On average, the country experiences about three derailments per day.
At least 25 cars of a train traveling through Montana derailed Sunday morning, spilling contents into the area and a local body of water.
Smoke and fire appear after a BNSF train derailed in Raymond, Minnesota on March 30, 2023
This photo taken with a drone shows parts of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed the night before in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 4, 2023.
According to local points of salethe first calls came to the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office around 9:20 a.m.
Fire department officers quickly reported to the scene and have been working to clean up the mess ever since.
Sheriff’s representatives have stated that there is no immediate threat to the public.
It is not clear if anyone was on board at the time of the derailment.
No injuries have been reported at this time.
Photos from the scene show the extent of the damage as cars are seen running off the tracks and submerging into the water.
Montana Rail Link, which owns the railroad, is aware of the situation, according to NBC Montana.
The company whose train derailed has yet to be identified.
This comes amid a series of devastating accidents involving hazardous materials that have raised safety concerns in Minnesota, Ohio and South Dakota.
The first calls came in at the Sanders County Sheriff’s Office around 9:20 a.m.
Photos from the scene show the extent of the damage when cars are seen running off the tracks and submerging in the water.
Montana Rail Link, which owns the railroad, is aware of the situation, according to NBC Montana.
Sunday’s derailment occurred in Sanders County, located in the northwestern corner of the state.
The latest accident occurred in Raymond, Minnesota, where about 40 cars derailed and several caught fire.
The city has been left as a war zone with the burning cars and the huge spill.
Hundreds of residents were evacuated after the 40-car freight train carrying hazardous substances skidded off the tracks around 1 a.m. Thursday.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train was carrying ethanol and corn syrup in about 14 of the cars, which is what started the fire.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg confirmed he was watching the situation “closely” and spoke about the incident after being accused of failing to address a similar incident in Ohio.
In February, a Norfolk Southern railway company train derailed and spilled massive levels of toxic materials in eastern Palestine.
On Friday, the US Department of Justice announced it would sue Norfolk Southern for polluting waterways in the Ohio city.
The government said it seeks to hold the company accountable for “illegally polluting the nation’s waterways and ensuring it pays the full cost of environmental cleanup,” in the lawsuit filed Thursday.
He is asking for penalties under the Clean Water Act and a judgment to hold the railroad accountable for past and future costs.
Residents were evacuated after the 40-car freight train carrying hazardous substances skidded off the tracks around 1 a.m. Thursday morning.
Raymond locals have been warned not to travel to the site as officials continue to fight the fire.
A drone shows that parts of a Norfolk and Southern freight train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, were still ablaze the next day on Saturday, February 4.
A black column rises over eastern Palestine, Ohio, as a result of a controlled detonation of part of the derailed Norfolk Southern trains, on February 6.
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (pictured in Oklahoma on Thursday) was criticized for his slow response to the disaster.
Another train derailed and crashed in North Dakota on Sunday, March 26.
The Montana accident also comes less than a week after 31 cars of a 70-car train derailed in North Dakota.
That accident happened when a Canadian Pacific train derailed Sunday about a mile southeast of Wyndmere in Richland County.
No injuries were reported at the time, but several of the cars were carrying hazardous materials.
Authorities have stated that the cleanup will take roughly seven to 10 days.
Derailments have been major news throughout 2023 thus far and even as late as 2022, as rail officials recorded over 1,100 incidents.
Most derailments, according to Federal Railroad Administration officials, are neither disastrous nor dangerous.
“However, we are not hearing left and right about derailments in various places in the country, and the main reason is that they are not really a major event,” said Mehdi Ahmadian, a professor of mechanical engineering. npr in March.