Transportation Safety Board probes CN derailment

The Transportation Safety Board and environment officials were investigating Sunday at the scene of a derailment of a Canadian National Railway train near Gogama, in Northern Ontario.

Seven rail cars caught fire when a train carrying crude oil derailed late on Saturday night, CN said on Sunday.

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The train, heading to eastern Canada from Alberta, derailed shortly before midnight about 80 kilometres south of Timmins, Ont., a CN spokesman said. Canada's largest rail operator said 29 of 100 cars were involved and seven had caught fire.

An unknown amount of oil spilled into the snow at the site of the derailment.

"The derailment occurred in a remote wooded area and there are no reports of injuries. There is a fire at the scene," Patrick Waldron said in an email early Sunday.

Ontario Provincial Police said there is no fear for the safety of the public, since the site is not accessible by road.

CN said the train was visually inspected four times and passed over a wayside safety detector approximately 32 kilometres before the derailment with no issues identified.

The track was last inspected visually Saturday morning, and with rail flaw detector and geometry test car within the last week.