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
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.