Freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed and caught on fire in Raymond, Minnesota

*Firefighters standing by the derailed train cars (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio/AP from edition.cnn.com)*

A freight train derailed and caught on fire in the early hours of Thursday in Raymond, Minnesota.

Furthermore, the incident took place around 1 a.m. local time and caused the town’s residents to be evacuated for a few hours, until 11 a.m.

The freight train consisted of 40 cars in total, while 22 of them were involved in the derailment. The derailed cars were carrying ethanol and corn syrup.

Ethanol, which is a highly flammable product, was released from 4 ruptured cars and caught on fire. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the fire was still burning after 14 hours.

It is worth mentioning that a total of 14 cars were carrying hazardous materials, while no impact to the groundwater or air has been reported.

Local responders are working along with the train company’s personnel to mitigate the damage.