Canadian oil train derails in Ontario, no injuries

A Canadian National Railway train carrying crude oil toward eastern Canada derailed early Saturday near Gogama in northern Ontario, causing fires that spread to a nearby waterway, according to Ontario Provincial Police.

No injuries were reported, police said.

The 40-car train was headed from Alberta when about 10 cars derailed at 2:45 a.m., police Constable Gillian Coughlin said.

Five of the cars landed in the Mattagami River. Emergency responders were getting booms to contain crude oil movement in the water, Mark Hallman, director of communications and public affairs for CN, said in a statement.

The cause of the derailment was under investigation, and Ministry of Environment officials were on the scene, Coughlin said. It was the second train derailment in the area in a month, she said.

In his statement, Hallman said Canadian National’s chief operating officer, Jim Vena, “apologizes to the residents near Gogama for the inconvenience and disturbance caused by a second company derailment in such a short period of time.”

Residents were being asked to stay inside to prevent possible smoke inhalation injuries. Residents of the Mattagami First Nation were also advised not to drink water from the river, Coughlin said.

Several nearby highways were closed because of the derailment, she said.

For more news, follow @smasunaga.