A freight train loaded with crude oil derailed in northern Illinois on Thursday , bursting into flames and prompting officials to suggest that everyone with one mile to evacuate , authorities said . The BNSF Railway train derailed around 1.20pm in a rural area where the Galena River meets the Mississippi , according to company spokesman Andy Williams . The train had 103 cars loaded with crude oil , along with two buffer cars loaded with sand . A cause for the derailment had n't yet been determined . No injuries were reported . Scroll down for video . Smoke and flames erupt from the scene , in which a train carrying 103 cars loaded with crude oil , on Thursday near Galena , Illinois . The BNSF Railway freight train loaded with crude oil derailed around 1.20pm in a rural area where the Galena River meets the Mississippi . Only a family of two agreed to leave their home , Galena City Administrator Mark Moran said at a news conference late Thursday , adding that the suggestion to evacuate was prompted by the presence of a propane tank near the derailment . The derailment occurred three miles south of Galena in a wooded and hilly area that is a major tourist attraction and the home of former President Ulysses S. Grant . The Jo Daviess County Sheriff 's Department confirmed the train was transporting oil from the Northern Plains ' Bakken region . Earlier in the day , Moran said eight tankers had left the track . But Williams said at the news conference that only six cars derailed , two of which burst into flames and continued to burn into the night . BNSF spokesman Andy Williams said that six cars derailed from the tracks and two burst into flames . Firefighters could only reach the train by a bike path and were unable to stop the flames . They had to pull back for safety reasons and let the fire burn out itself . Firefighters could only access the derailment site by a bike path , said Galena Assistant Fire Chief Bob Conley . They attempted to fight a small fire at the scene but were unable to stop the flames . Firefighters had to pull back for safety reasons and were allowing the fire to burn itself out , Conley said . In addition to Galena firefighters , emergency and hazardous material responders from Iowa and Wisconsin were at the scene . The derailment comes amid increased public concern about the safety of shipping crude by train . According to the Association of American Railroads , oil shipments by rail jumped from 9,500 carloads in 2008 to 500,000 in 2014 , driven by a boom in the Bakken oil patch of North Dakota and Montana , where pipeline limitations force 70 per cent of the crude to move by rail . Emergency responders from Wisconsin and Iowa joined the Illinois teams in an attempt to stop the fire , but for safety reasons retreated . Since 2008 , derailments of oil trains in the United States and Canada have seen 70,000-gallon tank cars break open and ignite on multiple occasions , resulting in huge fires . A train carrying Bakken crude crashed in a Quebec town in 2013 , killing 47 people . Last month , a train carrying 3 million gallons of North Dakota crude derailed in a West Virginia snowstorm , shooting fireballs into the sky , leaking oil into a river tributary and forcing hundreds of families to evacuate . The ruptures and fires have prompted the administration of President Barack Obama to consider requiring upgrades such as thicker tanks , shields to prevent tankers from crumpling , rollover protections and electronic brakes that could make cars stop simultaneously , rather than slam into each other . In a statement , the Federal Railroad Administration said it was sending investigators to the Illinois derailment site and that the agency will conduct a 'thorough investigation , ' to determine the cause . The derailment comes in the midst of a nationwide discussion about the safety of transporting crude oil by train . Since 2008 , derailments of oil trains in the United States and Canada have seen 70,000-gallon tank cars break open and ignite on multiple occasions , resulting in huge fires . BNSF spokesman Michael Trevino said railroad employees were on the scene and additional personnel were headed there . Illinois Gov . Bruce Rauner also put state personnel and equipment at the ready for deployment . The train 's destination was n't immediately known . Chicago , which is 160 miles east , is a major rail hub for shipments from both North Dakota and Canada 's oil sands . It was unclear if the train 's tank cars were older models widely criticized for being prone to puncture during accidents . About 40 to 50 oil trains come through the area each week , Jo Daviess County Emergency Manager Charles Pedersen said . As seen from near Bellevue , Iowa , smoke rises from a train derailment Thursday . The train 's destination was n't immediately known .
Authorities had to evacuate everyone in an 3 million gallons radius of fire . Train derailed at about 1.05pm Thursday in a rural area of northern Illinois . The train had 103 cars loaded with crude oil , and two cars carrying sand . The cause for derailment of the train has not been determined . Derailment comes amid increased public concern about safety of shipping crude by train .