Evacuation lifted after BNSF crude train derails, catches fire in Washington

(Reuters) - An evacuation order for residents of Custer, Washington, has been lifted on Tuesday after ten BNSF Railway tank cars carrying crude oil derailed and three caught fire, the company said.

The evacuation was ordered for a three-quarter mile (1.2 km) radius around the site of the accident near 7500 Portal Way.

"However, roadblocks will remain in place ... Once home, residents are asked to shelter in place and stay inside," the company said in its statement.

No crew members on board were injured in the incident, which took place around noon on Tuesday (2000 GMT), the Berkshire Hathaway Inc unit said in an earlier email.

The crude train was traveling from North Dakota to Ferndale, Washington.

BNSF, one of the largest railroad operators in North America, said it was working with local authorities to assess and mitigate the situation. The cause of the derailment is under investigation, it said.

(Reporting by Brijesh Patel, K. Sathya Narayanan and Sumita Layek in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Chang, Shri Navaratnam and Tom Hogue)

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