A Small Town in Iowa was Evacuated

A small town in Iowa was forced to evacuate on Sunday afternoon after a train hauling fertilizer, ammonium nitrate and other chemicals derailed and burst into flames.

A news channel reports the train derailed around 2 p.m. Sunday on the southwest edge of Sibley, a town more than 200 miles northwest of Des Moines with a population of 3,000 people. The train crash video was posted on social media which shows dozens of train cars piled up with flames and black smoke rising from the front of the crash. Authorities stated that the fire was caused due to diesel fuel.

The derailment occurred on a Union Pacific Railroad and 47 rail cars came off the tracks. None of the train crew was injured. Authorities also added that the derailment was due to a bridge collapse, but Union Pacific said it is still investigating the cause. Authorities evacuated an area of the small town in Iowa within 5 miles of the train car pileup and advised other residents to shelter in place in their homes. Union Pacific crews are working on removing the rail cars.

The county sheriff advised the residents not to open windows on both sides of their homes and be positioned in the middle of their homes. This is a safety measure in case a rail car explodes. The number of evacuees was not immediately certain, as most fire, EMS and police crews were unavailable to provide details on the situation. Sibley has a population of a little over 2,600 residents. Several evacuees, and many pets, were gathered at a gas station on the eastern end of Sibley Sunday afternoon after the evacuation. There was a sense of uncertainty and bewilderment at what had occurred.