Officials with the Union Pacific Railroad say four cars derailed near the small town between Owatonna and Albert Lea, and at least one was carrying liquid petroleum gas, which is flammable. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has shut down Highway 30 in Ellendale between 6th Street South and I-35. The Steele County Sheriff’s Office says there are no known injuries in the train derailment and several agencies have helped them go door-to-door in the town of about 700 to make sure everyone has followed the precautionary evacuation. The railroad’s Hazardous Materials Management Team is on site, and the Minnesota Chemicals Assessment team is also helping. UPRR says their priority is identifying the cause of the leak and stopping it. They add that more details will be available in the coming hours, and the cause of the derailment remains under investigation. The train was heading from South St. Paul to North Platte, Nebraska. A command center has been set up at Ellendale United Methodist Church on the west side of town.
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