UPDATE: Highway 11 north of Saskatoon reopens to traffic at site of train derailment
A CN train carrying grain derailed just north of Saskatoon on Tuesday morning.
It happened just before 9:30 a.m. CT on Highway 11 at Wanuskewin Road.
Saskatoon Fire Department (SFD) officials said 30 rails cars from the 52-car long train derailed, and no hazardous materials were involved.
One locomotive had a diesel leak and was heavily involved in fire when emergency crews arrived.
WATCH BELOW: Raw video of a CN train derailment north of Saskatoon
“We recognized immediately there was a diesel fuel leak from one of the engines which subsequently caught fire,” said SFD assistant chief Wayne Rodger, adding it caused a “fire that’s flowing.”
The initial locomotive heavily involved with flames was fully extinguished by 1 p.m.
Dalmeny and Warman fire crews also assisted on scene.
WATCH BELOW: CN train derails north of Saskatoon
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has deployed a team of investigators to the site and authorized clean-up operations to begin.
The rail crossing over the southbound lanes has already been cleared as a secondary locomotive was able to move unaffected rail cars away from the scene.
Crews are now preparing to allow heavy equipment to start moving the derailed cars.
“They will start moving cars from the south end and relocating them one car at a time,” Rodger said.
One southbound lane of Highway 11 was reopened as of 6:03 p.m.
“There’s 30 cars that came off the track, so it’s going to be a pretty big effort to get all those out of the way, plus then to repair what damage may have resulted to the track and the highway.”
WATCH BELOW: Aerial footage of train derailment north of Saskatoon
Highway 11 northbound to Warman is closed just past 71st Street. Traffic is being detoured to Highway 12 through Martensville and Highway 305 back to Highway 11 for locations north of Warman.
Wanuskewin Road northbound is closed just past Penner Road to allow access to Cathedral Bluffs.
No injuries have been reported.
TSB investigators will be on site Wednesday to gather information and assess the derailment.
-With files from Rebekah Lesko