A train carrying ethanol derails and catches fire in Minnesota, forcing evacuations

March 30th, 2023

The scene this morning after a BNSF train carrying ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire in the west-central Minnesota town of Raymond early Thursday, March 30, 2023, and residents living near the scene were evacuated in the middle of the night.

A train carrying ethanol derailed and caught fire in western Minnesota Thursday morning, prompting an evacuation for residents near the crash site in the city of Raymond, Minn.

The Kandiyohi County Sheriff’s Office was notified of the derailment at about 1:00 a.m. local time, according to a statement. The BNSF-operated train derailed on the western edge of the city but was still within Raymond, Minn., city limits.

About 22 cars carrying ethanol and corn syrup derailed, and four are on fire, BNSF told NPR in a statement. The cause of the derailment is under investigation.

“There are no other hazardous materials on the train and no injuries as a result of the incident,” the railroad said.

Authorities established a half-mile evacuation area around the crash site, and law enforcement officials and other emergency responders assisted, the sheriff’s office said. Residents with nowhere else to go went to an emergency collection site in nearby Prinsburg, Minn.

Raymond has a population of about 900 people and is about 100 miles west of Minneapolis.

The “site remains active as the fire is being contained,” the sheriff’s office said. BNSF personnel are on site and working with first responders.

The main track is blocked, and it’s unclear when it will be reopened, BNSF said.

Mayor and assistant fire chief Ardell Tensen told member station Minnesota Public Radio that the derailment was so loud that some firefighters heard the cars crashing together along the tracks. Firefighters were letting some of the ethanol burn out, but much of the fire had been extinguished as of 6 a.m. local time.

“We didn’t know if they were going to blow up,” Tensen told MPR News, which is why the city decided to evacuate residents nearby.

Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Federal Railroad Administration is on the ground in Raymond and will be involved in the investigation.

Another BNSF train carrying corn syrup derailed earlier this month in Arizona. Both derailments come on the heels of two high-profile Norfolk Southern derailments — one carrying toxic chemicals that derailed near East Palestine, Ohio, and another in Ohio with no toxic chemicals on board.