By IANS,
Chicago : Officials are evacuating the town of Tiskilwa in Illinois after a freight train derailed and several tanker cars containing ethanol exploded early Friday, Chicago Tribune reports.
The incident happened before 2 a.m. and the access was blocked off to Tiskilwa, a town of about 800 people 185 km west of Chicago, Xinhua reported.
At 8.30 a.m., aerial shots showed most of the flames out and white smoke rising from several tanker cars heaped together. Officials said it had been brought under control, but the fire was still burning as of 9 a.m., and there were no reports of injuries or casualties.
Emergency crews are evacuating the entire town of about 800 people, the dispatcher said.
Ottawa Fire Capt. Steve Haywood said earlier that it wasn’t immediately known how many cars derailed, but it appeared that at least six of the train’s 112 cars ignited.
The cars were carrying ethanol, or denatured alcohol, and possibly other materials and chemicals, Haywood said.