(KNSI) — The National Transportation Safety Board Tuesday released preliminary findings into what may have caused a fiery train derailment in Raymond last month.
According to the report, 23 mixed freight Burlington Northern Santa Fe rail cars went off the tracks at 12:58 a.m. March 30th. The cars included 14 hazardous materials tankers carrying 28,900 gallons of denatured ethanol. Two tank cars sustained punctured shells, causing the ethanol to leak and catch fire. The resulting fire damaged manway gaskets on three other cars, which released more ethanol, contributing to an even larger fire.
That blaze was eventually declared out on March 31st.
Investigators say the train was manned by one engineer, conductor, brakeman and conductor trainee. The speed limit on the tracks was 49 miles an hour, and the recording devices on the engines showed it was traveling at 43 miles an hour. The derailed tank cars were constructed to the specifications required for carrying hazardous materials.
On April 1st, a piece of fractured rail was sent to the BNSF lab in Topeka, Kansas, for further examination.
Fire departments from Raymond and numerous other cities responded to the scene. Firefighters, paramedics and law enforcement assisted in evacuating the entire city.
No one was injured or killed. Preliminary estimates peg the damage at around $1.9 million.
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