Fresno protesters hold vigil for 47 killed in oil train explosion in Canada

Community members and activists gathered Saturday at the Amtrak Station in downtown Fresno to mourn the victims of a 2013 oil train crash in Canada and protest the possible inclusion of Fresno on oil train routes.

Fresnans Against Fracking, Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, the Sierra Club and other groups organized the event for the 47 people who lost their lives when a train carrying oil derailed and caught fire in Quebec. Monday marked the two-year anniversary of the crash.

The organizations also handed out fliers outlining the possibility of similar accidents occurring in Fresno if the city was included on routes carrying oil from fields in North Dakota to Kern County refineries.

Fresno Fire Deputy Chief Ted Semonious said there are no oil-by-rail shipments through the Valley on either of the two freight rail lines. The shippers have committed to notifying fire departments in the Valley if there are plans to begin shipping oil in rail tank cars so that first responders can be appropriately trained to deal with emergencies.

This story was originally published July 11, 2015 at 5:44 PM with the headline "Fresno protesters hold vigil for 47 killed in oil train explosion in Canada."