By Jacob Peklo
Lester, IA (KTIV/CNN) - Families should be returning home after a train derailment in northwest Iowa.
A freight train headed from Sioux City to Wilmer, Minnesota derailed in Lester, Iowa, taking 15 of its 100 cars off the track. Nobody was hurt, but the work began in earnest for local law enforcement officials.
"The hazmat team is down there. They're checking for any leaks or contaminations," said Mark Dorhout with the Lyon County Sheriff's Department.
Emergency personnel kept people at bay as they assessed a potentially dangerous situation on and around the tracks.
"The car that's been compromised is LPG, and so that's why we're working very closely with first responders," said Amy McBeth with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railways.
LPG stands for liquefied petroleum gas, which is incredibly flammable. Hazmat officials say an initial assessment showed no hazardous leaks, but there was still a danger of a fire, when putting the cars back on the tracks.
Local fire officials and the sheriff's department evacuated everybody within a one mile radius of the crash. That was before hazmat officials could even come on the scene to assess the situation.
"They make that determination out of precaution certainly. We'll be taking every precaution and working closely with them as we move forward," said McBeth.
That meant 12 families around Lester would be leaving their homes indefinitely, as crews assessed the accident.
"The best case scenario is there are no leaks, and they're able to get it cleaned off," said Dorhout.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated.
KTIV/CNN