Another Oil Train Derailment with Fire and Explosions

Late this afternoon a grain train passing a crude oil train apparently derailed with some of the cars hitting the some of the passing crude cars. News reports (here, here and here) note that the resulting fire and explosions occurred outside of the town of Casselton, ND. There are no reports of injuries or other structures being involved in the fire.

The accident occurred about two miles west of a large ethanol production facility, Tharaldson Ethanol, that includes a massive rail loading facility that reportedly handles 153 million gallons of ethanol annually. The rail facility handles both grain trains delivering corn for the distillation process and ethanol heading to fuel blending facilities.

The combination of the North Dakota oil fields and ethanol production facilities like Tharaldson ensure that a large number of trains carrying hazardous materials transit towns like Casselton on an almost daily basis.