Train derailment in Minnesota leads to evacuation of hundreds of residents

Following a train derailment and fire, residents of Raymond, Minnesota were being evacuated as a precaution. Highway 23 between County Road 1 and Chippewa County Road 1 in Raymond is momentarily closed, reported Minnesota News Network. In the city of Raymond, there are about 800 residents.

"Residents of Raymond are welcome to seek shelter at CMCS School in Prinsburg," the network announced.

Around 1 am on Thursday, a goods train in Raymond, Minnesota, veered off the rails, forcing locals to leave their homes.

The fire was started by the ethanol and corn syrup that were being transported on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe train on about 14 of the carriages.

After being accused of not responding to a similar incident that occurred in Ohio last month, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has indicated that he is "closely" monitoring the situation and has spoken out about the incident, Daily Mail reported.

Ohio is suing Norfolk Southern over the catastrophic freight disaster that exposed the East Palestine community to extremely high levels of hazardous substances.

Authorities have established a one-mile safety perimeter surrounding the site, but there have been no verified injuries after the train derailment in Minnesota today — as of yet.

As firefighters fight the wildfire, locals in Raymond have been advised not to go there.

Secretary Buttigieg told CNN: "I have been in touch with the Governor. We have personnel on the ground."

Nearby Highway 23 has been shut off in both directions between Kandiyohi County Road 1 to Chippewa County Road 1.

"The town is being evacuated for precautionary measures. Residents may go to Prinsburg School for shelter," Raymond Fire Department announced on Facebook

One of the biggest freight railway networks in the country, BNSF, stated that they were looking into the circumstances behind the event involving one of its trains.