Around forty BNSF coal cars derailed near Cloquet, Minnesota on Sunday. No injuries were reported and no residents were evacuated.
Anthony Gist, a local resident, said “There were railroad cars stacked up like cordwood along the shoreline, probably like 5–6 in the water, on the ice. I’d say about 100 feet of coal dust out on the ice, in the snow… black, black coal dust about 100 feet out….I live in Northern Minnesota for the area, not because I love the cold. We love the area, and we wanna see it sustained and be usable and viable for years to come.”
BNSF Railway issued the following statement after the derailment: “BNSF crews have been working at the site clearing cars and repairing the track, and preparing a plan to remove the spilled coal and remaining derailed cars. There were no injuries in the incident. At this point, we estimate the tracks will be returned to service late tonight.”
