Heimdal, a small town with 30 residents in Wells County, North Dakota, was evacuated following the derailment and ignition of a loaded crude oil unit train heading east from the Bakken formation in western North Dakota. The derailment of the BNSF Railway train occurred on Wednesday, May 6, 2015, at around 7:30 AM and was located approximately 1 mile west of the town. There were 6 cars involved in the derailment and 5 of them caught fire. The train derailed to the south of the tracks into a wetland area next to an agricultural field. Smoke prevented the full assessment of any oil spills. Firefighters implementing a containment strategy to allow the crude oil to continue to burn, while preventing any spread.
EPA deployed 2 OSCs and 3 START contractors on May 6, 2015, to the scene, along with the Region 8 Emergency Response Truck and Oil Spill Response Trailer, to assist the Fessenden Fire Department, Wells County Emergency Management, North Dakota DES and DOH, and BNSF Railway with air monitoring, environmental sampling, oil spill assessment and mitigation, and cleanup efforts.
