CN derailment in Mississippi leads to fire, evacuations

GLENDORA, Miss. — A derailment and fire involving a Canadian National Railway train occurred today (July 5, 2025) in the town of Glendora, with the hazardous materials involved leading to the evacuation of about 200 residents.

The Clarksdale Press Register reports Tallahatchie County Emergency Management Agency Director said 13 cars had derailed, with a tank car carrying benzene catching fire. A CN spokeswoman said the derailment occurred at 2:47 p.m., and that no injuries had been reported.

Departments from throughout Tallahatchie County were fighting the fire, the newspaper reported. As of 9 p.m. ET, the evacuation order was still in place.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, benzene, if inhaled, can cause dizziness, headaches, tremors, confusion and (at very high levels) death; those who come in physical contact with the chemical should remove their clothing as quickly as possible, wash their body thoroughly, and seek medical care as quickly as possible.

Benzene, an element in gasoline, is also used to make detergents, drugs, dyes, some lubricants, pesticides, and rubber.

The derailment site is about 100 miles south of Memphis, Tenn., and about 120 miles north of Jackson, Miss., on CN’s Yazoo Subdivision.

The derailment led to the cancellation of the City of New Orleans in both directions. The northbound train that left New Orleans this afternoon was cancelled after reaching Jackson. A notice on the train status feature on Amtrak’s website says efforts to secure bus transportation for passengers were unsuccessful, so passengers will be returned to their point of origin. The southbound train that left Chicago at 8:05 p.m. today will be cancelled between Carbondale, Ill., and New Orleans. The scheduled July 6 departures in both directions have also been cancelled between Carbondale and New Orleans.

— Updated July 6 at 9:36 a.m. CT with additional Amtrak cancellations.