Massive fire after tanker train derailment in Alberta

Posted Oct 19, 2013 11:13:47 AM.

This article is more than 5 years old.

GAINFORD, Alta. – Emergency crews are battling a massive fire after a tanker train carrying oil and gas derailed west of Edmonton overnight.

Thirteen cars — four carrying petroleum crude oil and nine carrying liquefied petroleum gas — came off the tracks around 1 a.m. local time in the hamlet of Gainford. That’s about 80 kilometres from the provincial capital. Two cars containing gas are leaking, and officials are worried there could be an explosion.

Parkland County spokesman Carson Mills says it’s a risky situation so they need to keep people far away. The area is under a state of emergency and the entire community of roughly 100 has been evacuated. No injuries have been reported so far.

Residents have reported seeing a huge fireball shoot across the Yellowhead Highway, and a stretch of the road has been shut down. The Transportation Safety Board is sending investigators to the scene.

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