Officials: Derailed train cars still burning near Galena, but no environmental concerns

GALENA, Ill. - Two tank cars from a derailed Burlington Northern Santa Fe oil train continue to burn near Galena, but officials said Friday they aren't seeing environmental problems in Galena or the Mississippi River.

BNSF officials have built dams to keep oil from flowing into the Mississippi, officials added.

The train derailed south of Galena at 1:20 p.m. Thursday. It consisted of 105 cars, 103 of which were loaded with crude oil. Two buffer cars were full of sand.

A release from the Jo Daviess County Sheriff's Office said eight cars carrying Bakken crude oil were involved in the derailment. Of those, five caught fire and two continue to burn, according to authorities.

It's unclear what caused the train to derail, officials said.

BNSF officials say the tank cars involved in the crash were CPC-1232 model, which are somewhat safer than DOT-111s manufactured before 2011.

CPC-1232s have thicker steel sides, protection on the top fittings and a pressure-relief device.

These upgrades are supposed to protect the cars from puncture in a derailment, but there have been recent fires and explosions from crude transported in CPC-1232s. For example, 20 tank cars that derailed in West Virginia last month, catching fire and causing evacuations, were CPC-1232s.