NE Iowa Derailment Update: The Fires are Now Out

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Fires at the site of an eastern Iowa freight train derailment are out but ethanol is leaking into the Mississippi River and the task turned to monitoring for environmental impact and offloading the fuel from derailed trains to empty cars.

The cars went off the tracks at 11:20 a.m. Wednesday in a remote area about 10 miles north of Dubuque. Local authorities say three cars caught fire and three more plunged into the Mississippi River. No injuries have been reported.

Canadian Pacific spokesman Jeremy Berry says of the 15 cars and two engines that derailed, 14 cars were carrying ethanol. He says eight appear to be leaking. Some ethanol has reached the river. Federal and state environmental agencies are working with CP to set up ethanol monitoring sites downriver.