View this article online: https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2021/05/17/614724.htm
Thick black smoke billowed into the air on May 16 after a train derailed in northwest Iowa, prompting authorities to evacuate part of a small, nearby town.
The fiery derailment happened early in the afternoon on the southwest edge of Sibley, which is a town of about 3,000 people roughly 200 miles (321.87 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines. There were no immediate reports of injuries related to the derailment.
Photos and video of the derailment posted online show about 30 train cars piled up along the tracks with flames and a large plume of smoke coming from one end of the pile of cars. Local media reports say authorities evacuated an area within 5 miles (8.05 kilometers) of the derailment.
Sibley Fire Chief Ken Huls told KIWA radio the train was hauling fertilizer and ammonium nitrate.
Nate Minten of Sibley told the Des Moines Register that smoke was still visible around 4:30 p.m. Sunday from his mother’s home.
“I could see smoke filling up a couple hundred feet at least,” said Minten who posted aerial drone video of the derailment online, “We didn’t hear any bangs or anything.”
An emergency text message Minten received about the derailment said the western end of Sibley west of Second Avenue was being evacuated.