BORDULAC, N.D. — An early morning train derailment on the east edge of Bordulac on Friday, July 5, led to 29 cars leaving the tracks and igniting a large fire at the site.

At approximately 3:53 a.m. Friday, first responders from Carrington Fire and Rescue and CHI Carrington EMS were dispatched to Second Street Southeast and 75th Avenue Southeast for a hazardous materials incident near Lake George just outside Bordulac.

Ten to 15 cars were reported to have caught on fire, with an estimate of 25 to 30 cars leaving the tracks upon initial inspection. The train was traveling east through Bordulac when the derailment occurred.

No injuries were reported from the accident, though EMS was on scene to provide backup for any fire or hazmat team personnel working to extinguish the fire and clean up and clear the site.

Heavy rains that came through the Carrington area the previous day may have been the culprit for the derailment. At the site of the incident, a culvert partially washed out, compromising the railroad bed. Though much of the estimated 145-car train passed through Bordulac without issues, the tail end of the train derailed.

County Road 1613, locally known as the Bordulac Highway, was closed to traffic, along with portions of Highway 200, during the early morning hours of July 5 as county and state officials worked to keep persons away from the area. The town of Bordulac was under mandatory evacuation, as well as one rural residence approximately 1/2 mile from the scene.

The fire burned for the remainder of the morning and much of the afternoon, continuing into Saturday and Sunday while CF&R worked around the clock to contain it.

According to Stutsman County Emergency Manager Andrew Kirking, working as Foster County’s interim emergency manager, primary goals set forth at an incident command meeting the afternoon of the derailment were threefold: to preserve the lives and safety of residents and responders, stabilize the incident and minimize environmental impact.

Along with extinguishing and cooling the rail cars, tactical objectives included removing as much material as possible from the cars and preparing the site for heavy equipment to remove them.

Kirking said that since the area is wet, boggy and marshy, timbers were used to stabilize the scene for responders to better combat the blaze and engage in cleanup operations.

“We just needed to get our ducks in a row before we attack it,” Kirking said that morning.

He reported at the initial meeting later on Friday that two pumping trailers doused the derailed cars “with success.”

“Quenching the fires has had an effect on the plume, slightly lightening its color from black to gray,” said Kirking, noting the smoke color change meant fewer materials actively burning and more steam released into the air. As a result, he said, the plume lost upward development, and air, soil and water monitoring continues with no life safety risks.

At 4 p.m. on Friday, NDResponse issued a Temporary Flight Restriction for one nautical mile surrounding the derailment site and 1,000 feet above the site and below. Operation of all aircraft, including drones, was prohibited with the exception of emergency services-approved aircraft effective for 48 hours, until 4 p.m. Sunday, July 7.

According to the National Transportation Safety Board, which arrived on scene Saturday, the contents of the derailed cars involved methanol, anhydrous ammonia and plastic pellets. Kirking said the burning pellets contributed to the black smoke early in the crash. NTSB has been at the site, along with officials from the Federal Railroad Administration.

Saturday morning updates revealed that firefighting operations throughout the night and morning were incredibly successful, according to Kirking, and much of the fire had been extinguished by that time, with occasional flare-ups. Later that evening, recovery efforts for the rail cars began.

Because the cars still have products inside them, Kirking said that each unit must be individually evaluated, relocated and emptied of as much material as possible before final removal can occur.

“The situation is being closely monitored by environmental specialists to ensure as little product as possible is lost,” he said.

Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway has developed an in-depth and procedural recovery plan, and local responders have been briefed on the plan’s specifics and were still on-site as of Sunday afternoon and beyond for anything that may arise.

He reassured residents on Saturday that readings from the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality regarding air contamination in the area were effectively near zero, and that remote monitoring downwind also showed no contamination.

On Sunday, however, Kirking said air monitors detected low levels of anhydrous ammonia after one rail car began venting during removal from the site. For precautionary purposes, Bordulac-area residents were subject to a shelter-in-place notice, which has since been lifted.

Kirking concluded, “I would like to commend the efforts of responders, state and federal partners, the selfless aid of mutual aid partners, and the community commitment of Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway for their prompt and proportional response.”

Bordulac is a town of 18 people about 40 miles north of Jamestown.