Stories

About a dozen homes were evacuated July 1st when eleven cars of a Missouri-Pacific freight train derailed near fuel storage tanks in the middle of town.

It happened at about 1:30 p.m. and resulted in one of the derailed cars, which was carrying Hexane -- an explosive chemical, coming very close to the three storage tanks, which had a capacity of 25-thousand gallons and were full.

A drying chemical was used on the rail car, causing the Hexane to evaporate and the overturned car was removed from the site four hours after the derailment.

Investigators believed the train derailed after part of the train axle overheated and broke off. A car that was carrying a load of steel crashed through a wall and was only inches from hitting the support legs of the storage tanks.