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Train carrying crude oil derails & catches fire, triggering evacuations in Custer, Washington (PHOTOS, VIDEO) | |
(32 minutes later) | |
Residents in Whatcom County, Washington have been ordered to evacuate after a train carrying a load of crude oil derailed and caught fire, with local authorities clearing anyone within a half-mile of the crash site. | Residents in Whatcom County, Washington have been ordered to evacuate after a train carrying a load of crude oil derailed and caught fire, with local authorities clearing anyone within a half-mile of the crash site. |
The derailment late on Tuesday morning involved three to five cars, the BNSF railway said in a statement on Twitter, adding that there were reports of a fire near the end of the vehicle and that emergency response crews were working to “assess and mitigate the situation.” | |
The evacuation was also announced online by a public relations officer for the Washington State Patrol, who urged all “residents and visitors” to leave the immediate area around the tanker. The evacuation zone includes an elementary school, a church and multiple businesses. | |
A thick plume of black smoke was seen billowing from the crash site in footage published by a local reporter. | |
Images captured closer-up showed flames around the tanker, though the extent of the blaze is not clear from the photo. | |
The pillar of smoke could also be seen in satellite imagery shared by local meteorologist Morgan Palmer, who noted that surface winds in the area are “fairly calm.” | |
It has not yet been determined what caused the accident, and no injuries have been reported as of yet. The crash took place in Custer, a small town with a population fewer than 400 located just miles from the US-Canada border. | |
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