Fiery train derailment closes southern Sask. highway: RCMP
A fiery train derailment closed a highway in southeast Saskatchewan on Thursday morning.
A train derailed approximately two kilometres northwest of Macoun, Sask., forcing the closure of Highway 39 in both directions, RCMP said.
Photos and video from the scene shows several train cars on fire creating thick black smoke. Police said smoke was affecting visibility in the area.
An emergency alert was sent out to residents in the RM of Cymri just after 2 p.m.
Residents within a 2,200 metre area of the derailment will be contacted if they need to evacuate, according to the emergency alert.
The public is asked to avoid Highway 39 as it is currently blocked off.
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) will be deploying a team of investigators who will gather information and assess the scene.
Estevan resident Amber Mantei and her husband were driving on Highway 39 on their way to Regina when they spotted smoke coming from the rail line. As they got closer, they heard an explosion.
“Just before we were coming around the corner on Highway 39 that goes around Macoun, there's this huge explosion and then all the black smoke,” Mantei said.
A plume of black smoke rises from a train derailment near Macoun, Sask. on Dec. 1, 2022. (Courtesy: Amber Mantei)
The large fire appeared to consume three cars near the front of the train. Several other cars had also derailed further down the line.
Mantei said she could feel the heat emanating off the blaze from inside their vehicle.
“It was intense,” Mantei said. “You could actually feel it through the glass of the truck.”
(Courtesy: Amber Mantei)
RCMP is asking motorists to avoid the area. Detours are being organized.
No injuries were reported to police.
Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway is on scene investigating the incident, according to RCMP. CP confirmed crews responded to the scene but did not provide further details.
Macoun was under a state of emergency due to some homes being located close to the derailment site, the village said in a Facebook post.
Macoun School went into a hold and secure mode following the incident out of an “abundance of caution,” the South East Cornerstone Public School Division said in an emailed statement. Classes continued for the remainder of the day.
Macoun is located approximately 174 kilometres southeast of Regina.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates | Daniel Jolivet insists he's not a murderer and says he has proof
Convicted murderer Daniel Jolivet, in prison for the past 30 years, has maintained his innocence since the day he was arrested. W5 reviews the evidence he painstakingly assembled while behind bars. W5's documentary 'Buried Evidence' airs Saturday at 7 p.m. on CTV.

China balloon: Many questions about suspected spy in the sky
The massive white orb drifting across U.S. airspace has triggered a diplomatic maelstrom and is blowing up on social media. A look at what's known about the balloon crossing the U.S. and what isn't.
One in four Canadian cancer patients still experiencing cancelled appointments: survey
In the field of cancer treatment, nothing is more important than diagnosing and treating the problem as quickly as possible — but according to new survey data, about one in four Canadian cancer patients report that they are still experiencing cancelled or postponed appointments.
Dozens of soldiers freed in Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap
Dozens of Russian and Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned home following a prisoner swap, officials on both sides said Saturday.
Oldest preserved vertebrate brain found in 319-million-year-old fish fossil
The oldest preserved vertebrate brain has been found in a 319-million-year-old fossilized fish skull that was removed from an English coal mine over a century ago.
Canada tracked suspected Chinese spy balloon over Canadian airspace since last weekend: sources
The suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that was found floating over sensitive military sites in the western United States had been tracked by Canada's government since last weekend as it passed through Canadian airspace, sources tell CTV News.
Former NHL-er Ted Nolan among Indigenous players honoured in new hockey card series
It took 40 years, but former NHL player and coach Ted Nolan is now one of eight Indigenous ex-NHL-ers being honoured hockey trading cards as a part of Upper Deck's First Peoples Rookie Card series.
Russia's Medvedev says more U.S. weapons supplies mean 'all of Ukraine ... will burn'
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev has said the supply of more advanced U.S. weaponry to Ukraine will only trigger more retaliatory strikes from Russia, up to the extent of Russia's nuclear doctrine.
Indian police nab over 2,000 men for illegal child marriages
Indian police have arrested more than 2,000 men in a crackdown on illegal child marriages involving girls under the age of 18 in a northeastern state, officials said Saturday.