34-year anniversary of deadly train derailment in Williston

On July 7, 1984, firefighters were called to something that wasn't flood-related.

"I remember lying in bed hearing the siren and thinking, oh no, more water problems," Williston Fire Chief Ken Morton said.

But it wasn't flash flooding. Instead, a train crash in Williston that's forever imprinted in Morton's mind.

"The heavy rains washed out a bridge that was here and there was nothing under the tracks," explained Morton.

Morton had only been serving the department for two years when the derailment happened 34 years ago.

An Amtrak train that was headed to Montreal went off the tracks in the area near where GlobalFoundries is now located.

Morton says five cars from the train were washed out. Five people were killed and dozens more were seriously injured. The biggest challenge with this scene was where the crash happened.

"It's all primitive, there's no road or way to get down to safety," said Morton.

Morton says contractors had to clear trees in order to guide passengers out of the woods. What the chief was impressed with for this incident was the emergency response. He says radio communications weren't as good as they are now. Decades later, the chief says he still has questions about how other crews heard about the incident and how they got to the scene safely.