Freight Train Carrying Crude Oil Derails Near Galena

GALENA, Ill. (AP) — A freight train loaded with crude oil derailed in northern Illinois, bursting into flames and prompting authorities to suggest that everyone within 1 mile evacuate, authorities said. Only two people did so.

BNSF Railway spokesman Andy Williams says the train derailed around 1:05 p.m. Thursday in a rural area where the Galena River meets the Mississippi. No one was injured.

Galena City Administrator Mark Moran said late Thursday that out of 500 families in the voluntary evacuation area, only a family of two agreed to leave their home. He said the evacuation was prompted by the presence of a propane tank near the derailment.

The train had 103 cars with crude oil and two buffer cars with sand.

Williams says the cause of the derailment hasn't been determined. The Federal Railroad Administration is sending investigators.