In Rockford a freight train derailed hitting Tank Cars carrying thousands of gallons of ethanol and other highly flammable substances causing a large explosion killing one person and making many nearby homes to evacuate during the disaster. Tank Cars that were hit by the train were burning said by the officials and that they would have to wait till the extremely dangerous inferno burns out itself.

Fire Chief, Derek Bergsten of Rockford said that 114 cars and 74 of the trains were full of ethyl alcohol or ethanol but only a dozen of them were on fire. The area of on the Rockford edge was abandoned by the officials where they went 80 miles away to the northwest of Chicago on Friday due to the reason of air pollution and a slight chance of other cars and trains that can catch fire.

The person who died in the tragic accident was a female who was in her car waiting for the train to pass by so she could cross the track near the derailed area, said by the Winnebago County Coroner Sue Fiduccia. Three other people that were at the derailment site managed to escape the car when it was hit by the railroad ties but still got injured by burns from the flaming ethanol. The injured were rushed to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center as they were in critical condition, and one of the injured person was moved to Chicago in Stroger Hospital, said by the Rockford Fire Chief, Derek Bergsten.

Officials till now have evacuated around 600 houses within a half a mile radius of the tragic accident site as it is to be said that toxic fumes might be surrounding the air and the houses should remain evacuated until the Environmental Officials give a green light to move back in.

Rockford Train Derailment

Rockford Train Derailment