Evacuation order lifted following fiery Iowa derailment
Smoke billows from a train derailment, Sunday, May 16, 2021, in Sibley, Iowa. Union Pacific spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said about 47 railcars came off the tracks during the derailment, but the train crew was not injured.[Mason Dockter/Sioux City Journal via AP]
An evacuation order that was issued for part of a northwest Iowa town following a fiery weekend train derailment has been lifted, authorities said.
The Osceola County sheriff’s office announced Monday night that people were allowed to return to their homes and affected businesses would be able to reopen.
About 47 cars derailed Sunday afternoon near Sibley, including several that were carrying hazardous materials. The resulting fire created a thick plume of black smoke but no injuries were reported.
Sibley is a town of about 3,000 people roughly 200 miles (322 kilometers) northwest of Des Moines. The west end of the town was evacuated after the derailment.
Several cars involved were carrying hydrochloric acid, potassium hydroxide and asphalt, Union Pacific spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said. An empty tank car on the train had been carrying liquid ammonia nitrate.
The railroad said the cause of the derailment was under investigation, but witnesses reported that a bridge had been damaged underneath the train.
Tysver said the bridge may have been damaged during the derailment but it did not collapse.
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