Huge Fire after Hazardous Train derails in Minnesota, USA

A city in Minnesota has been left looking like a war-zone as cars from a train derailed and burst into flames in the early hours. The site of the incident in Raymond can be seen with a huge spill, hours after authorities tackled the growing blaze.

Hundreds of residents were evacuated after the 40-car freight train carrying hazardous substances careered off the tracks at around 01.00 AM on early Thursday morning.

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe train was carrying ethanol and corn syrup on around 14 of the carriages, which is what sparked the fire.

Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg confirmed he was watching the situation ‘closely’ and spoke out about the incident after being accused of not addressing a similar incident in Ohio last month.

Ohio is suing the Norfolk Southern railroad company over the devastating freight derailment which exposed the village of East Palestine to massive levels of toxic material.

Back in Raymond, residents were evacuated after the 40-car freight train carrying hazardous substances careered off the tracks at around 1am on Thursday morning.

Governor Tim Waltz travelled to the area and confirmed that residents would be allowed to return to their homes later on today after it was deemed safe by officials.

There have been no reported injuries in Raymond confirmed yet, and authorities have set up a one-mile perimeter for safety around the site.

It came hours after another Burlington Northern Santa Fe train came off the tracks on Wednesday morning near a grain elevator in Hettinger. There were no hazardous materials on board, as the cars were transporting grain, and there were no injuries.

However one vehicle struck and damaged a building at the elevator site, but there was no other property damage – unlike the blaze which broke out in Minnesota.

Locals in Raymond have been warned not to travel to the site as officials continue to battle the blaze. Secretary Buttigieg told CNN that the has been in touch with the Governor. We have personnel on the ground.

The reason that we are pushing so hard on railroad safety is to make sure there are fewer of these incidents. The reason that there are fewer than there used to be in the past is regulation and enforcement.

But there’s still far too many, and this happens more often than I think most Americans realize this is exactly why we have called on congress to create tougher fines and penalties and more authorities.

Nearby Highway 23 has been shut off in both directions between Kandiyohi County Road 1 to Chippewa County Road 1. Thanks to the quick work by first responders assisting the Raymond community, the fire is under control and there have been no injuries.

BNSF, one of the largest freight railroad networks in the country, said they were investigating the cause of the incident in Minnesota that involved one of their trains. For now, the main track is blocked and an estimated time for reopening the line is not available.

America’s infrastructure has been deteriorating for years, and accidents like this have been frequent, however the recent surge in incidents, in addition to the food processing fires and energy installation explosions, leads one to suspect that at least some of them are likely sabotage.

It looks like whatever force is at work wants to not only disrupt supplies, but also to make it look like the world is going to hell.

Sott.net / ABC Flash Point News 2023.