BELLINGHAM, Wash. (AP) — Officials say seven train cars carrying crude oil derailed yesterday and five caught fire, sending a black plume of smoke into the sky north of Seattle close to the Canadian border.
Whatcom County officials said the derailment occurred in the downtown Custer area, where streets were closed and evacuations ordered during a large fire response.
It’s unclear what caused the train cars to derail, but investigators say it was near where two people were arrested last month and accused of attempting a terrorist attack on train tracks to disrupt plans for a natural gas pipeline. The fire burned through the night and was out by this morning.
Sheriff Bill Elfo says no one was injured. A spokesperson for BNSF said two workers were on the train at the time of derailment and the train included around 108 cars, traveling to a refinery in Ferndale.
Home to five oil refineries, Washington state sees millions of gallons of crude oil move by rail through the state each week, most of it from North Dakota.