An evacuation order remained in place Monday for part of a northwest Iowa town as firefighters worked to extinguish a burning train after a weekend derailment.

About 47 cars derailed Sunday afternoon near Sibley, including several cars that were carrying hazardous materials. The resulting fire created a thick plume of black smoke but no injuries were reported.

Sibley is a town of about 3,000 people roughly 200 miles (322 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines. The west end of the town was evacuated after the derailment.

Union Pacific spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said the railroad's hazardous materials experts worked with first responders through the night to contain the blaze.

Tysver said several cars involved in the derailment were carrying hydrochloric acid, potassium hydroxide and asphalt. An empty tank car on the train had been carrying liquid ammonia nitrate.

The railroad said the cause of the derailment remains under investigation, but witnesses reported that a bridge had collapsed underneath the train.

Robin Eggink told the Des Moines Register that she and her husband noticed the train slowing down followed by a big cloud of smoke as they were eating at a Pizza Hut outside of Sibley on Sunday. The family drove near the site of the smoke and saw the train split in two on both sides of a bridge that had collapsed before firefighters ordered them out of the area, Eggink said.

Share:
More In Culture
Google Kills Google+ in Wake of Security Vulnerability
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that Google had exposed over 500,000 Google+ users' data and failed to alert authorities. The company ultimately said it would shut down the consumer version of the social network. Douglas MacMillan, the reporter who broke the story for the Journal, said Google's handling of the information is causing a lot of speculation about the tech giant's business practices.
Milk and Eggs' Farm-To-Table Grocery Delivery Service
Grocery delivery has a new player in Los Angeles: Milk and Eggs. This service connects consumers with farmers and food producers, and the food is delivered straight from the source, made fresh for every order. Kenneth Wu, CEO and founder of Milk and Eggs, said that unlike Walmart and Amazon, his company is able to completely eliminate the grocery store.
Inside Chipotle's Turnaround Strategy
The burrito chain is rolling out a rewards program in three markets in 2019 in an effort to better connect with customers and ease their minds after several health scares. Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer at Chipotle, said food safety is the chain's number one priority, and it's taken the necessary steps for its customers to enjoy Chipotle without fear of getting sick.
New Climate Change Report Sounds Global Alarm ー Is Anyone Listening?
A landmark report issued by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Monday warned that there could be irreversible damage caused by climate change in as little as 12 years. Andrew Freedman, science reporter at Axios, said the effects of this could be even hotter heat waves, sea-levels rising that could wipe out coastal cities, food shortages, and more.
Will Elon Musk's Tweets Hurt Tesla In the Long Run?
Elon Musk's infamous "funding secured" tweet spawned a now-settled SEC lawsuit, but will his latest "Shortseller Enrichment Commission" one open it back up? Elizabeth Lopatto, deputy editor at The Verge, said the Tesla CEO doesn't seem to want to give up his Twitter fingers just yet, but that could hurt the company in the long run.
Esports Bringing People Up Close and Personal With Virtual Reality Tech
VR may have trouble finding its foothold with the general public, but esports could give it new life. Frank Soqui, vice president and general manager for Intel's gaming division, said it is difficult to get virtual reality technology into the hands of everyone, but esports is making it more accessible.
Load More