(The following Associated Press article appeared on the Winfield Daily Courier’s website on July 23.)
ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. — A train with five tanker cars, including one carrying liquid fertilizer, derailed Tuesday in the northern part of the city, but no one was injured, authorities said.
A spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Joseph Faust, said the car carrying liquid fertilizer was punctured, leaking an undetermined amount of nitro-fertilizer. The liquid spilled into a nearby ditch, Faust said.
No evacuation was necessary, said Arkansas City Fire Marshal Randy Leach.
The cause of the derailment, which happened around 3 a.m., is under investigation, Faust said.
Leach said nearby residents might smell some ammonia that is part of the chemical mix, but not in enough quantity to cause harm.
“The wind was out of the right direction, blowing north,” Leach said, adding that some of the spill evaporated.