Raymond, Minnesota - A train carrying tons of ethanol accidentally derailed near a small town in Minnesota early Thursday morning, forcing a mandatory evacuation of all its residents.

The train, operated by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, derailed around 1 AM local time, according to CNN.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said "four cars containing ethanol, a highly flammable product, ruptured, caught fire and continue to burn," adding that more cars containing the material "may also release."

Residents living within a half mile of the accident, mainly in the town of Raymond which has a population of close to 800, were immediately ordered to evacuate the area.

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Roads around the site remained closed for four hours as the fires raged on, and EPA officials monitored air quality in the area.

Fortunately, the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office shared that there were no injuries or deaths reported from the crash.

The evacuation order was lifted by midday Thursday, with no reports of impact to the local groundwater.

The incident is similar to a derailment that took place in East Palestine, Ohio, in February. That crash released toxic fumes into the air, sparking fears of a major explosion and long term health issues for residents. To this day, dangerous levels of a cancer-causing pollutant can be found in the soil around the site, and the crash sparked the introduction of a federal railway safety regulations bill in Congress in its aftermath.

The cause for the derailment in Minnesota is still under investigation.