On 16 July, a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) oil train derailed near Culbertson in rural northeastern Montana, leaving at least two of the cars leaking crude. Surrounding homes were evacuated following the incident, which forced the closure of federal Highway 2, however there were no reports of injury or fire and no immediate threat to public safety, according to Jason Frederick, Roosevelt County Sheriff.
The train was pulling 106 loaded cars when it derailed near the North Dakota border just after 6 pm, said BNSF spokesman Michael Trevino. Of the 21 cars that derailed, only two remained upright.
Police, fire and other emergency responders were at the site of the derailment, but crews refrained from going too close to the leaking cars until a BNSF hazardous materials team arrived at the scene.
According to local press reports, rail officials declined to specify if the train was carrying crude oil from North Dakota's Bakken region, where growing numbers of shipments have resulted in increasing safety concerns.
Edited from various sources by Rosalie Starling
Sources: Yahoo, ABC News, Huffington Post