Reports on social media are saying Guernsey residents are being allowed to go back home, and the evacuation order from Thursday has been lifted.
Canadian Pacific has released an update on the derailment at Guernsey, but much of the information is already known. The statement from CP says 32 cars hauling crude oil derailed west of Guernsey but there were no injuries and their emergency response team and contracts are working with local fire officials to control and extinguish the remaining fires. CP will ensure the area is cleaned up and restored, and will work closely with the adjacent landowners in this regard. An investigation into the cause is ongoing.
The Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency says the blaze began right after the train derailed, and the force of the fire changes depending on a variety of factors, which may be why some people thought it was at one point getting worse instead of better. The fire could change for instance depending on the weather conditions or the amount of fuel exposed, and fire suppression activities can increase the smoke plume and fire activity. There have been no reports of cars exploding. A written response from the Government of Saskatchewan indicates their main focus remains fire suppression. Despite that, the movement of rail cars and clean up of leaked oil is underway.
On Highway 16 near the train derailment expect a delay of up to 30 minutes. From the Junction of Highway 20 north to the Junction of Highway 2 there is police on site and you need to be prepared to stop. The detour goes north on Highway 20 to Grid 340 then South on Grid Range Road 2233.
The train was pulling around 104 cars, 32 of which derailed. The accident is not far from the site of a train derailment in December involving 33 tanker cars and 1 hopper car.
Yesterday (Thurs), Federal Transportation Minister Marc Garneau issued a Ministerial Order to immediately slow down trains carrying dangerous goods across the country. The Ministerial Order requires the slowdown of key trains, which contain 20 or more cars carrying dangerous goods. In metropolitan areas, these trains will be limited to 32 kilometres per hours. Outside these areas, trains will be limited to 40 kilometres per hour.
Provincial Environmental Protection Officers on site are assessing the impact of the derailment, crude oil spill and fire.
