Ill. town evacuated after train derails, cars explode

Train cars burn after a derailment near Tiskilwa, Ill., Friday.

'Every time one of them explodes, it sounds like a bomb is going off,' witness says

An Illinois community of 800 was evacuated early Friday after a freight train loaded with ethanol derailed, causing several cars to burst into flames and explode.

Capt. Steve Haywood of the Ottawa Fire Department told the Chicago Tribune that at least six cars caught fire after the crash at 2 a.m. CDT (3 a.m. ET) on the eastern edge of Tiskilwa, in north-central Illinois. He said there were concerns about possible further explosions.
Witnesses reported hearing several blasts.
Hayward said the 112-car train was transporting ethanol being shipped by Decatur-based corn processor Archer Daniels Midland. More than 60 cars were carrying ethanol, said Aaron Whittington, a dispatcher for Oglesby's police and fire departments.
'It's a mess' The fire was still out of control at 5:15 a.m. CDT, the Tribune reported.
"It's a mess," Mike McComber, owner of the Indian Valley Inn, where some town residents took refuge, told the Tribune. "A quarter to a half mile of cars derailed. Many of them are on fire."
"Every time one of them explodes, it sounds like a bomb is going off," he added.
Adverti "There's a lot of fire and big flames," said Amanda Knight, who told the Chicago Sun-Times that the train derailed about 500 feet from her home.
Knight said she heard several explosions coming from the accident scene. "It sounds like a jet coming over the town. That's all I can compare it to," she said.
There were no word on any injuries. Authorities said the town's evacuees were being taken to a nearby high school.
Tiskilwa is a village of about 800 people located about 100 miles west of Chicago.
The train was operated by Iowa Interstate Railroad. A dispatcher with the railroad said company officials were headed to the scene Friday

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