Fiery South Dakota Train Derailment Blamed on Broken Rail

December 13, 2016

Investigators say a broken rail was probably the cause of a fiery South Dakota train derailment in September 2015 that resulted in more than $1 million in damage.

Seven cars of a BNSF Railway train derailed near the town of Scotland and three leaked nearly 50,000 gallons of ethanol onto a pasture, causing a fire that spread along a creek bed. No one was hurt.

In its final report on the incident, the Federal Railroad Administration says investigators discovered several deficiencies in the track in the area of the derailment.

The Daily Republic reports that BNSF spokeswoman Amy McBeth says the railroad came to the same conclusion.

Scotland is about 70 miles southwest of Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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