NTSB Investigating Cause of Iowa Rail Tanker Derailment, Fire

A National Transportation Safety Board team was on Saturday, March 11, at the scene of a tanker train that had derailed near Graettinger, Iowa.

The train was carrying ethanol when it derailed early Friday morning and caught fire, according to a report. The train derailed near Jack Creek, a tributary of the Des Moines River, and local officials decided to let 27 of the 101 tanker cars burn. The NTSB said an unknown amount of the ethanol had spilled into the creek.

Two employees were riding the Union Pacific train, and there were no reported injuries.

The NTSB said in a press release early investigations show a type of vulnerable rail tanker car — the DOT-111 — was involved in the derailment. “The NTSB has identified many vulnerabilities in the DOT-111 tank car design that create the risk of the release of hazardous materials or flammable liquids when those tank cars are involved in an accident,” the release said.

Because of the vulnerabilities, the NTSB said, the US Congress has mandated the rail industry stop using the DOT-111 cars by 2029. Credit: National Transportation Safety Board via Storyful