VIDEOS: A Union Pacific freight train carrying ethanol careened off its tracks in a Fort Worth neighborhood Wednesday and burst into flames, prompting an evacuation of nearby homes and a hazardous materials response.
It happened at about 12:40 a.m. near the 3200 block of Yuma Street, on the city's southeast side and near Echo Lake. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is investigating, said about 20 rail cars derailed and five tank cars caught fire.
Firefighters said it's unclear what caused the cars to go off the tracks, but heavy thunderstorms were moving through the area at that hour.
Ethanol inside the cars continued to burn through the early morning hours and had spread to one outbuilding near the tracks, firefighters said. Texas Sky Ranger video showed flames shooting from one of the tanker cars at about 8 a.m., more than seven hours after the initial crash.