Freight train derails at Alma, Wisconsin near Mississippi River

It happened just West of the intersection of Highway 35 and County Road I. Police said homes within a half mile voluntarily evacuated. There have been no reports of injuries.

There are no reports of injuries, fire or smoke, and Severson says there is no immediate risk to the public.

Freight transportation company BNSF Railway said in a statement that the train derailed at 8:45 a.m. about two miles north of Alma. Local responders and BNSF personnel are responding to the scene.

A picture from Twitter user Eric Wills shows several of the cars toppled over, with a few of them dangling over the embankment that separates the rails from the river, while one is actually in the river. “That has since lifted and they are now allowed back in their residence”, said Buffalo County Chief Deputy Colin Severson. BNSF will work with the EPA and state agencies on the best plan for mitigation and remediation efforts.

The multi-car derailment also caused a voluntary evacuation for residents and shut down portions of Highway 35 and 37. The sheriff’s office says the Alma American Legion is set up for evacuated residents.

BNSF operates 20-30 trains per week carrying at least 1 million gallons of volatile crude oil from North Dakota along those tracks that run parallel to the Mississippi River from south of the Twin Cities to the Illinois border, according to information provided to state emergency officials and released in response to River Valley Media open records requests.

The La Crosse Fire Departments Hazmat team assisted at the scene.

Emergency crews are on the scene of a BNSF train derailment north of Alma that closed highways and prompted a temporary evacuation of area residents.

Businesses in downtown Alma are open for business according to the Sheriff’s office.