Pastor: We ‘became ground zero’ after Minnesota derailment

The Unity Church in Prinsburg, Minnesota, opened its doors after a BNSF train derailed
"We saw quite a bit of the community come together," the pastor said
No injuries were reported, but "the whole incident certainly is unnerving," he said

Updated: Mar 30, 2023 / 08:42 PM CDT

(NewsNation) — Lead pastor Steve Zwart of the Unity Church in Prinsburg, Minnesota, says the church opened its door to residents after a BNSF train carrying ethanol and corn syrup derailed in nearby Raymond early on Thursday morning.

“And as we got closer to the start of school,” Zwart said, “We made the transition over to the church and we became, as it were, ground zero for housing evacuees, providing food meals, and to provide just general care.”

Residents were made aware of the derailment early in the morning and evacuations ensued.

“We saw quite a bit of the community come together and really respond in the moment,” Zwart said.

Zwart said they were “very fortunate” none of the residents suffered physical symptoms from potential ethanol exposure and no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.

“The whole incident certainly is unnerving,” Zwart said. “And we in our small towns here, certainly we’re a bit unnerved as this began to unfold this morning.”

Watch the full interview in the video player at the top of the page.