Oil Train Explosion

Oil trains are coming through Oregon and the Northwest, as we recently reported. Columbia Riverkeeper has expressed concerns about what could go wrong if a train carrying thousands of gallons of oil derailed.

Today the Wall Street Journal and other news sources report that portions of a train of 73-oil-filled cars derailed in Lac-Megantic in Quebec Canada.

There was an explosion, 1,000 people were evacuated and there are others still missing. The crude oil was heading for Maine.

The Associated Press says a large swathe of the town was destroyed. The AP also reports oil has spilled into a nearby river.