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Train derailment causes oil leak in Saskatchewan

Sept. 25, 2013, Landis, Sask. – Hazardous material crews were cleaning up oil spilled from a Canadian National train car that derailed close to a small community in western Saskatchewan early Wednesday.

RCMP said 17 rail cars – some carrying flammable petroleum, ethanol and chemicals – came off the tracks after 4:00 a.m. within 500 to 700 metres of the village of Landis, west of Saskatoon.

"The spill involved a petroleum product that is not considered highly explosive," Sgt. Grant Rusk said.

"Because of the flammable nature of some of the other rail-car contents, and the proximity to Landis and the school, the decision was made to close the Landis School for the day while the contents of the damaged cars were unloaded."

No one was injured.

Warren Chandler, a spokesman for CN, said it was not clear how much oil spilled, but that the oil was concentrated along the right of way of its the transcontinental rail line.

Chandler said some of the cars were on their sides and CN crews were working to clean up the area.

"One of the derailed cars is leaking lube oil," he said from Edmonton.

"CN crews immediately began a process using vacuum trucks to contain and reclaim the leaking product."

The cause of the accident was under investigation.

The Saskatchewan government said one of the other derailed cars contains ethanol and was on its side, but was not leaking.

RCMP said the cars that went off of the tracks were in the middle of the 560-metre-long freight train and no other vehicle was involved in the derailment.

Fire crews from nearby communities put out a grass fire in a ditch caused by the derailment, but police said none of the rail cars caught fire.