Minnesota Public Safety

A Canadian National Railway freight train derailed around 4:50 a.m. Saturday north of Warroad in Roseau County, Minnesota, sending 42 railcars off the tracks, including two classified as carrying "dangerous goods" and prompting precautionary evacuations, local officials said. The sheriff’s office established an evacuation zone from 400th Street to County Road 137 along Highway 313, and the Patch Motel on State Avenue in Warroad was opened to residents who needed to leave their homes. CN said in an email to Sheriff Steven Gust that there were no reported leaks, injuries, fires or impacts to road crossings, while hazardous materials teams spent Saturday checking for leaks and monitoring air quality. By afternoon, authorities said they had identified no environmental concerns, but warned cleanup and track clearance could take two to three days as first responders and CN crews work the site. The cause of the derailment is under investigation, adding one more data point to mounting public scrutiny of freight-rail safety and the movement of hazardous cargo through small U.S. towns.