BNSF Train Carrying Ethanol Derails In South Dakota: Local News

train crash — Emergency workers stand in and around a burnt Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Metro North Railroad commuter train near the town of Valhalla, New York, Feb. 3, 2015 Reuters/Mike Segar

Ten cars of a BNSF Railway train carrying ethanol derailed in rural South Dakota early Saturday, starting a fire and forcing detours on the company’s main track, according to local news reports and Bloomberg News.

"That portion of the track is out-of-service,” BNSF spokeswoman Amy McBeth told Bloomberg News in an e-mail on Saturday, saying she didn't have an estimate yet for when it would reopen. "We have other routes we can use and will use."

Officials at BNSF were not immediately available for an update midday Sunday.

The 98-car train derailed at about 6:15 a.m. local time near the town of Lesterville, McBeth told Bloomberg. No injuries or damage to nearby structures have been reported. Two of the cars were involved in the fire, and BNSF and local emergency officials were responding to the scene, McBeth said.

BNSF is a unit of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc (BRKa.N)

(Reporting by Scott DiSavino; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)