From the Lynchburg News & Advance:

A CSX train carrying crude oil derailed Wednesday afternoon by the James River in downtown Lynchburg, sparking a massive fire that sent a thick column of black smoke high into the sky.

Officials said 12 to 14 tanker cars were involved in the derailment, which happened shortly before 2 p.m. near Ninth and Jefferson streets. Three or four of the cars were breached, spilling oil into the river. The cause was not immediately known.

Lynchburg City Manager Kimball Payne has declared a state of emergency. City officials say CSX representatives, and possibly the train company's CEO, are en route.

City firefighters are allowing the fire to burn out, and it has abated somewhat since the derailment.

No injuries have yet been reported.

Ansel has reported on the flammable, explode-able oil trains that pass through Seattle every day; the Seattle City Council has called for this to stop, but Governor Jay Inslee has yet to do anything.