NTSB finds broken rail caused Raymond, Minn. train derailment

Train derails, starts on fire in Raymond, Minnesota

Nearly two dozen rail cars on a BNSF train derailed near Raymond, Minnesota, early Thursday, with several derailed tankers starting on fire.

RAYMOND, Minn. (FOX 9) - A western Minnesota train derailment of nearly two dozen cars, carrying thousands of gallons of ethanol, was caused by a fractured rail, a National Transportation Safety Board report has found.

The results aren't a surprise. A preliminary report from the NTSB suspected a fractured rail was the cause of the crash in Raymond, Minnesota last March.

The wreck forced a half-mile evacuation while tankers burned for hours. The train was carrying 14 hazardous material tanker cars, 10 of which derailed. In total, the derailed cars were carrying 28,900 gallons of denatured ethanol.

The evacuation order from the derailment affected about 800 people. Thankfully, no one was hurt or killed during the train crash.

A memo sent last week blames a "catastrophic" rail failure related to rail head surface condition.