A BNSF Railway Co. train carrying crude oil derailed and began
to burn Thursday afternoon near Galena, Ill., just over the state
line from Wisconsin and 160 miles west of Chicago.
The company said the train consisted of 103 rail cars loaded
with oil, along with two cars carrying sand.
The derailment took place in a rural area and there were no
injuries reported, according to BNSF. The cause of the derailment
wasn't immediately known, and federal investigators were heading to
the scene of the incident.
Some of the oil was on fire Thursday afternoon, according to
local news reports. A plume of black smoke was visible.
This is the third derailment of a train carrying crude oil in
less than a month. In mid-February, there were derailments in
Ontario, Canada, and West Virginia. In both instances, a number of
the railcars ignited and exploded.
The oil trains in those previous incidents were carrying crude
from North Dakota's Bakken Shale. Based on the location of
Thursday's incident in Illinois, it is likely that is the origin of
the crude in the train that derailed. The Wall Street Journal has
reported that oil pumped in North Dakota tends to be particularly
gassy and volatile.
Write to Russell Gold at russell.gold@wsj.com
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