The Burlington Northern Santa Fe cargo train derailed in the Minnesota town of Raymond at around one in the morning on Thursday, according to a news statement from the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office.
According to the sheriff's office, several railroad carriages carrying a mixture of freight, including ethanol and corn syrup, caught fire. First responders and a number of fire agencies were sent to the area, where they are struggling to put out the fire.
A half-mile evacuation zone was established around the crash scene, and locals were instructed to leave their houses in the neighborhood.
There haven't been any injuries recorded as of yet.
For evacuees in need of a place to stay, a collection site has been established at the Central Minnesotan Christian School in nearby Prinsburg.
The sheriff's office reported that the area was still active as of around 5am as the fire was being put out.
Until further notice, the general public has been warned to avoid the town of Raymond.
According to a tweet from Pete Buttigieg, Secretary of Transportation, the Federal Railroad Administration had arrived on the scene to help with the issue.
He tweeted that the FRA was on the scene after an early-morning ethanol-carrying BNSF train derailed, forcing a Raymond, Minnesota, area evacuation.
"As of right now, there have been no reports of injuries or fatalities. If additional information becomes available, we will be actively participating in the investigation.
The Prinsburg area church is accepting donations of bottled water and food for the firemen, according to the Raymond Fire Department.
These are the things you can do because a lot of people have inquired how they can help. The Unity Church in Prinsburg is happy to serve as a drop-off place for bottled water and refreshments for the firemen as the City of Raymond is inaccessible to the general public. These courageous individuals still have several hours of work ahead of them after working tirelessly for hours already. Any assistance with bottled water and food would be greatly appreciated, the department wrote on Facebook.
This is the most recent train derailment to occur in the United States in recent months, following an event in Ohio that caused major health concerns for locals.
A Norfolk Southern train carrying dangerous vinyl chloride derailed in the East Palestine settlement at the beginning of February.
To avoid an explosion, officials burned the materials under controlled conditions.
