Home NEWS Train derailment and fire prompts evacuations in northwest Iowa

Train derailment and fire prompts evacuations in northwest Iowa

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(CNN)Authorities evacuated parts of Sibley, Iowa, after a train derailment and fire on Sunday.

“The derailment happened at about 2 p.m. today,” Robynn Tysver, a Union Pacific spokesperson told CNN affiliate KMEG. “We estimate about 47 cars were impacted.”

The train crew was not injured, Tysver added.

Authorities said the fire was caused by diesel fuel, according to CNN affiliate KTIV, and that the derailment was a result of a bridge collapse.

Officials with Union Pacific said the incident is still under investigation, KTIV reported.

For people who didn’t evacuate, the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office wrote in a Facebook post that residents were “advised to open windows on both sides of their homes and be positioned in the middle of their homes.”

“This is a safety measure in case a rail car explodes,” the sheriff’s office wrote.

All waterways in the area were blocked off, KTIV reported.

CNN has reached out to the sheriff’s office and the county emergency management for more information.

Following the derailment, the Sibley-Ocheyedan Community School District also announced it would be delayed two hours on Monday.

A decision about the rest of the day will be made Monday morning, the district said in a Facebook post.

“Be safe, and thanks to all our emergency personnel for their work to help us be secure in these times of crisis,” it said.

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