Oil tank cars derail, burn in Virginia

A pillar of black smoke billowed over downtown Lynchburg, Virginia, after a train carrying crude oil jumped its tracks and caught fire Wednesday afternoon, city officials said. Between 12 and 14 cars from a CSX freight train were involved in the derailment, which occurred along the James River and left oil burning along the river’s surface, city government spokeswoman JoAnn Martin said. About 50,000 gallons of crude oil are missing from the tankers, she said. It’s unclear how much of the oil burned in the blaze and how much spilled into the water.