GRAETTINGER, Iowa (AP) — The Latest on the fiery derailment of a freight train in northwest Iowa (all times local):
12:15 p.m.
Environmental experts are checking for ethanol leaks after a fiery freight train derailment in northwest Iowa, while fire officials are allowing the blaze to burn itself out.
The Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office says the derailment occurred 1 a.m. Friday, near Graettinger (GREHT'-ihn-jur).
Iowa Natural Resources field office supervisor Ken Hessenius (Heh-SEHN'-ee-uhs) says he doesn't yet know if any ethanol leaked from the 27 tanker cars that derailed. Each carries about 25,000 gallons.
County emergency manager Mark Hunefeld (HUH'-nee-fehld) says it appears that five of the derailed cars fell into a creek. The creek flows through relatively flat farm fields and empties a few miles downstream into the Des Moines River.
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10:20 a.m.
A spokeswoman for an ethanol producer says a train that derailed and burst into flames in northwestern Iowa was carrying ethanol from that company's plant.
Green Plains Inc. spokeswoman Sasha Forsen says the tank cars were filled with ethanol at a Green Plains plant in Superior, Iowa. She declined to say where the train was headed. Green Plains is based in Omaha, Nebraska.
The Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office says the derailment occurred 1 a.m. Friday, near Graettinger (GREHT'-ihn-jur), about 20 miles southeast of Superior. It says two crew members escaped unharmed. No injuries have been reported. Residents are evacuating the area.
Palo Alto County emergency management director Mark Hunefeld (HUH'-nee-fehld) says at least 27 of 101 cars derailed.
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9:50 a.m.
Authorities say several fuel tank cars are burning after a freight train, possibly carrying ethanol, derailed in northwestern Iowa.
The Palo Alto County Sheriff's Office says the derailment occurred 1 a.m. Friday, near Graettinger (GREHT'-ihn-jur), about 160 miles northwest of Des Moines. It says two crew members escaped unharmed. No injuries have been reported.
The office says the train was carrying alcohol from an ethanol plant. It didn't elaborate.
Palo Alto County emergency management director Mark Hunefeld (HUH'-nee-fehld) says at least 27 of 101 cars derailed, including the burning tanks that he believes were loaded with ethanol.
Residents are evacuating the area.
Company spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza has confirmed it's a Union Pacific train.
National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Keith Holloway says the agency will investigate the cause of the derailment.