EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) -- A flatbed rail car went up in flames early Wednesday, apparently after a chemical drum ruptured, fire officials said. No one was injured.
The Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight train was traveling west from Willow Springs, Ill., en route to Los Angeles, when a drum believed to contain a formaldehyde-based chemical apparently ruptured, officials with the fire department and the train line said.
A deputy from the Butler County Sheriff's Department intercepted the train south of Cassidy around 5 a.m. after being notified of the fire. It was reported by a motorist, Sheriff Craig Murphy said.
The train was eventually shut down just north of El Dorado, Murphy said. It remained there for about four hours before continuing to the West Coast, said Joe Faust, a spokesman for Burlington Northern Santa Fe.
An investigation into the fire - which sent flames 10 to 20 feet over the top of the trailer - was ongoing. No cause had been determined.
El Dorado Fire Capt. Rick Whiteside said fire officials did not know how long the fire may have been burning before it was noticed.
``I'm sure it had been burning long before it got into Butler County,'' he said.
The drum of the poisonous chemical was the only hazardous material in a trailer filled with office supplies, Whiteside said.
The car, trailer and its contents were destroyed, but the fire caused no damage to any other cars, Whiteside said. There was no damage estimate.
