Crews burn contents of tankers that forced evacuation of Ellendale, Minn.
ELLENDALE. Minn. (KMSP) - ELLENDALE, Minn. (AP) — Crews have ignited the contents of two tank cars involved in a train derailment that forced the evacuation of a small town in southern Minnesota.
Ellendale Mayor Mark Skroch says he woke up to "a big explosion" around 3:30 a.m. Saturday. Skroch says the flames shot "maybe 150 to 200 feet in the air."
Union Pacific said it decided the safest way to remove LP gas from the two derailed cars was to "vent and burn" the liquid. That involved puncturing the hull of the cars, releasing the liquid into a pit and burning it.
The town of 700 people was evacuated Friday after 22 cars of the 146-car train derailed. Except for one homeowner within 400 feet of the site, the evacuation was lifted.