Illinois town evacuated following fiery train derailment

The entire town of Tiskilwa was evacuated early this morning after a freight train derailed and several tanker cars containing ethanol exploded, according to fire officials and area residents.

There were no reports of injuries, but access was blocked off to Tiskilwa, a town of about 800 people south of Princeton and about 115 miles west of Chicago.

"It's a mess," said Mike McComber, owner of the Indian Valley Inn, a restaurant bar where many town residents were taking refuge. "A quarter- to a half-mile of cars derailed.  Many of them are on fire.

"Everytime one of them explodes, it sounds like a bomb is going off. Three have gone off so far."

At least six cars of the 112-car train caught fire, according to Capt. Steve Haywood of the Ottawa Fire Department. As of 8:30 a.m., aerial shots showed most of the flames out and white smoke rising from several tanker cars heaped together.
The derailment occurred at about 2 a.m. at the eastern edge of town, where there is a subdivision, McComber said. Responding crews could see the fire from Interstate 80, about 9 miles away. Other area residents reported the glow could be seen from 12 miles.

The cars were carrying ethanol, or denatured alcohol, and possibly other materials and chemicals, Haywood said. Ethanol is used in producing gasoline and for other industrial purposes.Bureau County sheriff’s police went door-to-door to advise people of the mandatory evacuation, officials said.
Evacuees were being taken to Princeton High School. Kirk Haring, superintendent for Princeton High School District 500, said the Bureau County Red Cross was using the school as a shelter. Students had the day off anyway for a teacher institute day, he said.

Mike Hellberg, the county's Red Cross disaster chairman, said evacuees have started trickling into the school while he and others try to provide cots and meals.

Fire officials said the shipper was Decatur-based ADM Corn Processing. David Weintraub, a spokesman for ADM, said he couldn’t confirm the cars contained ADM products and referred questions to the train operator. He said ADM would cooperate with investigators and the rail company.

The train is operated by Iowa Interstate Railroad, according to Jeff Johnson, the company's director of safety and security said.

Hazardous materials teams from Ottawa, Utica, Marseilles, Peru, Mendota, Oglesby and Naplate were dispatched to the fire, Haywood said.