Well, it looks like a series of mistakes contributed to this one:
Lack of training blamed for Prince George train fire#### Last Updated: Tuesday, March 31, 2009 | 2:06 PM PT ##### The Canadian Press
Water bombers were used in the efforts to put out the fire near Prince George on Aug. 4, 2007. (David Mah/Canadian Press)
A CN Rail train crash and explosion in Prince George during the summer of 2007 was caused by improperly trained management staff and rail cars that were too heavy, according to a report by the Transportation Safety Board.
The report, issued on Tuesday, found that managers operating a remote control switching system on Aug. 4, 2007 weren’t properly trained for the duties they were performing.
It also concluded the tonnage of the cars being moved exceeded the capacity of the brakes on the locomotives.
As a result, the CN supervisor lost control over the 53-car, remote-controlled train, which struck another train pulling cars loaded with gasoline and caused a derailment, explosion and fire, the report concluded.
No one was hurt, but 172,000 litres of gasoline and dies