On June 30, 1992, a Burlington Northern Railroad freight train derailed on a bridge over the Nemadji River at the southern edge of town of Superior, Wisconsin.

The derailment of the southbound freight train happened at about 2:50 am June 30, 1992, at the intersection of Wisconsin Highway 35, the railroad line and the Nemadji River.

[2] The train's, three engines and several freight cars made it safely across the bridge and onto the other side before the derailment occurred.

Three tank cars as well as a boxcar, a hopper and several bulkhead flatcars loaded with lumber, derailed on the curve that led straight towards the bridge.

When the derailment happened, the engine crew felt a jolt and brought the train to an emergency stop.

The ruptured car released nearly 22,000 gallons of aromatic concentrates including liquid benzene and toluene into the river.

Around 205 Army and Air National Guard members from Minnesota and Wisconsin assisted with the evacuations and security.

[1] On August 3rd, 1992, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources reported that the spill from derailment killed thousands of fish and an unspecified number of other animals.

The report went on to say that the rains subsequent to the spill "helped to dilute the chemical and probably reduced the potential magnitude of the fish kill."

In its report, the NTSB faulted the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for not inspecting the track properly before the accident occurred.

Lastly, Burlington Northern committed pay $100,000 to a fund for the use of studying the type of rail defects in the Nemadji River train derailment.