On Friday, railway wagons loaded with hazardous materials derailed and caught fire, but according to officials, no one was injured and the danger to residents appeared to be minimal.

Twenty-nine cars of a CPKC train derailed around 3:45 a.m. in an area surrounded by farmland about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northwest of Fargo, said Andrew Kirking, Foster County emergency management director.

The cars were carrying ammonia, sulfur and methanol, said Bill Suess, head of the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality's oil spill investigation program. The ammonia was the biggest threat, but the wind carried the smoke from the nearby town of Bordulac, which has a population of about 20.

“The wind was on our side in this regard,” said Suess. “That risk has decreased significantly. It still exists – as long as there is fire.”

Exposure to high levels of ammonia in the air can cause burning of the eyes, nose, throat and respiratory tract and can lead to blindness, lung damage or death, health officials say. Exposure to lower levels can cause coughing and irritation of the nose and throat.

Authorities are currently not planning to evacuate residents, but that could change if the wind changes, Suess said.

Kirking said the cause of the derailment was unknown. The train driver and conductor escaped safely, he said.

Kirking said it appeared that 10 to 15 of the carriages had caught fire. A video posted on the social platform X showed the fire burning intensely. It was still burning on Friday afternoon. A railway fire department was on site.

CPKC said in a statement that it had “launched its emergency response plan and initiated a comprehensive, coordinated response.”

CPKC was formed last year from the merger of Canadian Pacific Railway and Kansas City Southern.