Photo from the Minot Daily News shows officials pointing out the scene of the derailment that killed one local resident and injured two rail crew members.

MINOT, N.D. -- Working in coordination with local and state officials, Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) has developed a two-phase clean-up plan to accelerate the end of an evacuation under way at the site of a Jan. 18 derailment in Minot, North Dakota, according to a CPR press release.

Under the first phase of the clean-up, CPR crews are removing the 31 derailed cars at the site and loads of anhydrous ammonia that are being recovered from damaged railway tank cars. At the same time, CPR will apply a neutralizing agent to soil at the derailment site to contain vapors.

Those steps are designed to reduce vapors to safe levels and minimize public exposure as CPR removes derailed cars from the site. The evacuation of about 20 homes in a half-mile radius immediately east of the derailment site remains in place and under the authority of the Minot Rural Fire Department.

Crews have already moved about half of the cars away from the tracks. It is not yet known how much longer Phase 1 will take.

After the completion of Phase 1 of the plan, crews will repair track and begin a longer-term remediation designed to remove soil that has absorbed spilled anhydrous ammonia at the derailment site.

Last night, CPR suspended clean-up operations when vapor levels increased in the immediate vicinity of the derailed cars while they were being moved. Air monitoring continued overnight to ensure the safety of workers and the public. The increased vapor concentrations were contained to the site and the area where clean-up workers are moving equipment.

Vapor levels have dissipated overnight and clean-up crews are expecting to resume clean-up operations today.

Air monitoring will continue throughout the clean-up efforts and crews are working closely with local and state officials, including the Minot Rural Fire Department, police and health and environment officials. (It is expected that some odors will be periodically detected in the community even after vapor concentrations have been reduced to safe levels.)

The derailment occurred at 1:40 a.m. CST Jan. 18 on the western outskirts of Minot, resulting in an anhydrous ammonia leak. The train that derailed carried a total of 112 cars. It originated in Edmonton, Alberta and was destined for St. Paul, Minn. A total of 31 cars, including 15 containing anhydrous ammonia, derailed.

Inspections of the site have determined that 7 of the 15 anhydrous ammonia cars lost all of their contents at the site, releasing an estimated 200,000 gallons of anhydrous ammonia. Leaks were detected in some of the remaining 8 cars, but it is not yet known how much anhydrous ammonia was released. The spilled anhydrous ammonia either vaporized at the time of the derailment, was removed by CPR crews, or remains to be absorbed on the ground adjacent to the tracks.

Anhydrous ammonia is a common nitrogen-based product used in fertilizers, refrigeration and household detergents. It is a colorless liquid at temperatures below -33C and forms a gas at higher temperatures.

CPR is working closely with the National Transportation Safety Board, which is conducting an investigation into the cause of the derailment.

CPR operations in the Minot area will be restored to normal soon after the clean-up is completed during the coming days. During the track closure, the railway is rerouting trains to and from the Midwest U.S.