A startling start to the day for some residents on south hill the morning of August 5 continues our countdown of the top 15 stories of 2020, with story number 9.

A rail collision and derailment at the CP Rail Yard led to a number of houses being evacuated shortly after 5:30 am as all residents within an 800-metre radius of the incident were evacuated.

One resident who lives in the area stated "There was a loud crash and the house shook around 5:30 am. Unsure if it was the collision of the trains and an explosion simultaneously or just the crash. We hear trains banging all the time, but this was different, the whole house shook. My husband was getting ready for work when he heard the crash and saw a flash and smoke out the window, he walked across the street and saw the flames."

Fire Chief with the Moose Jaw Fire Department, Rod Montgomery, explains what exactly happened.

"One of the remote engines crashed into a switch and hit another train. The train itself derailed and the locomotive was on fire, but there were flames next to one of the hazardous material tanker cars. That was our big concern, so we did have to start initiating an evacuation of south hill."

"We had to start looking at the worst-case scenario, but luckily the crew on site was able to get the fire under control quickly. All the partners involved; CP Rail, City Police, Moose Jaw Fire Department, everybody worked well, it went well, and it was well contained."

The Moose Jaw Police Service and the City of Moose Jaw sent out a release just after 7 am telling residents the situation was under control and that they were able to return home.