RAYMOND, MINNESOTA - According to a press release from the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office, around 1 AM on Thursday, March 30, 2023, the Sheriff's office was alerted to a train derailment in the City of Raymond, Minnesota which is located about two hours to the west of the Twin Cities. Upon arrival, emergency crews found a Burlington Northern Sante Fe train with 22 cars detailed that was on fire. The cars were reported to be carrying ethanol and liquid corn syrup. Emergency personnel quickly began fire impression with mutual aid coming from several surrounding communities. An evacuation order was also put into effect for a 1/2 mile radius around the crash site, which includes the small town of Raymond. Residents were evacuated to the Central Minnesota Christian School building in Prinsburg, Minnesota for shelter, which was located about 8 miles to the south-southeast of Raymond, Minnesota.
Just before noon, a second press release was issued by the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office stated that the evacuation order was lifted for residents and they were allowed to return home. They also reported in this press release that there was no threat to the groundwater for Raymond residents and local emergency responders and BNSF personnel continue to work on mitigating the incident. In a statement from BNSF on Twitter, they also reported they are monitoring water and air quality, with no detectable levels of concern being found at this time. No injuries were reported from this crash.
Governor Tim Walz reports he surveyed the damage from the train derailment earlier this morning and has multiple agencies at the scene working to protect the health and safety of the residents of Raymond, Minnesota.
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