Derailed Freight Train Blaze In Rural Oklahoma Fueled By Methanol

Luther, OK (AHN) - A freight train has derailed and caught fire in a rural area of northeastern Oklahoma County and is sending heavy black smoke skyward as hazmat firefighters try to battle the blaze.

The train left the tracks northeast of Luther and just north of state Highway 66. Hazmat teams from Edmond and Oklahoma City responded to the site of the fire, which is burning near an oil pump area.

No injuries were immediately reported.

Methanol, or methyl alcohol, which is often used as an antifreeze, solvent and fuel are fueling the fire.

There have reportedly been a series of small explosions. The blaze has been too hot for firefighters to get close enough to effectively combat it, according to reports.

The train was on one of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway's tracks.