--- description: No injuries have been reported title: Train Carrying Crude Oil Derails and Catches Fire image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6891bbba5c018c8/69878285cd6848046509a0a0/oil-train-derailment.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Crude Oil Train Derails and Catches Fire in Illinois by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 6, 2015 3:28 PM CUT  Smoke and flames erupt from the scene of a train derailment near Galenda, Ill. on March 5, 2015. Smoke and flames erupt from the scene of a train derailment near Galenda, Ill. on March 5, 2015.Mike Burley—Telegraph Herald/AP by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Mar 6, 2015 3:28 PM CUT A 105-car freight train derailed in Illinois Thursday night, and at least two of the 103 cars loaded with crude oil [were set ablaze](http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/freight-train-carrying-oil-derails-catches-fire-illinois-n318311 "undefined"). The train derailed in a rural area near Galena, Ill. and no injuries have been reported. Local officials announced a voluntary evacuation for residents within a one-mile radius of the site. At least five cars derailed from the train, which originated in North Dakota. Freight railroad network BNSF said [in a statement](http://www.bnsf.com/media/statements/ "undefined") that the cause of the derailment was unknown and that the company would help local residents whose property was damaged or who needed help temporarily relocating. The federal government is working on new regulations for rail safety in the wake of a string of explosions from derailed oil trains, as _Oilprice.com_ [recently reported](http://time.com/3720434/bomb-trains-regulatory-failures/ "undefined"): --- > “” --- Another train carrying crude oil derailed in West Virginia [less than a month ago](http://time.com/3711335/west-virginia-oil-train-derailment/ "undefined"), setting off a large fire and causing evacuations. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3735266/illinois-crude-oil-train-derail/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3735266/illinois-crude-oil-train-derail/"},"headline":"Crude Oil Train Derails and Catches Fire in Illinois","datePublished":"2015-03-06T15:28:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T04:58:18.633Z","description":"No injuries have been reported","url":"https://time.com/3735266/illinois-crude-oil-train-derail/","keywords":["Transportation","Oil","Trains","Illinois"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6891bbba5c018c8/69878285cd6848046509a0a0/oil-train-derailment.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb6891bbba5c018c8/69878285cd6848046509a0a0/oil-train-derailment.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Oil Train Derailment Illinois","caption":"Oil Train Derailment Illinois","creditText":"Mike Burley—Telegraph Herald/AP","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3735266/illinois-crude-oil-train-derail/","name":"Crude Oil Train Derails and Catches Fire in Illinois"}}]}] ```