Train carrying oil strikes derailed train, explodes in N. Dakota
Both trains owned by BNSF Railroad
A train transporting crude oil exploded in a giant fireball yesterday in North Dakota after hitting another train that had derailed. No injuries were reported, although the accident sent more than 2,400 people living within a five mile radius of the crash site to hastily set up shelters in Fargo.
New sources report that a westbound BNSF Railway train hauling grain derailed, causing a fiery explosion but no injuries. That train was then struck by a BNSF Railway eastbound oil train, which also derailed and exploded. At least ten cars of the second train were set ablaze. A Fargo Fire Department spokesman said the second train, which was 111-cars long, sent a giant fireball hundreds of feet into the air, with smoke visible for approximately 25 miles.