Train cars blown and derailed by tornado near Steele

NEAR STEELE, ND ( KXNET) — The National Weather Service reported a cone tornado sighting at 7:55 p.m. Wednesday, August 28th, east of Steele.

In a live interview on KX News Wednesday night, the Kidder County Sheriff’s Department confirmed everyone in Steele is “okay.” However, according to the sheriff’s department, the strength of that tornado derailed 20 to 30 empty BNSF rail cars northbound as well as 20 to 30 cars southbound. Sergeant Paige Swanson said she’s relieved and surprised Wednesday night’s severe weather didn’t cause as much damage as it could have.

“I am very surprised, because on the other side of the road here, there’s houses and buildings and it just missed them and it just hit the tracks. So, thankfully, that’s all that happened,” Swanson said.

BNSF crews were on scene, looking at the extent of the damage to the rail cars. Rail workers were also there, making sure the rail crossing arms were still functional.

This is a developing story. KX News will continue to update this story as we receive new information.

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