PICTURE AND VIDEO EXCLUSIVE

A FREIGHT train laden with fuel burst into flames early today after derailing and crashing into a pylon.

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A FREIGHT train laden with fuel burst into flames early today after derailing and crashing into a pylon.

The drama happened at 6.25am on the outskirts of Stewarton, Ayrshire, on the Kilmarnock line.

Six fire engines, a heavy rescue vehicle with its own support unit, a fire investigation team and control units all rushed to the scene to tackle the massive blaze, where 50ft flames lit up the sky.

Fire officers had to use foam to douse the flames.

As dawn broke, the orange flames looked like a massive torch on the skyline, and a giant plume of smoke blew across nearby villages.

Chief Superintendent Martyn Ripley, of British Transport Police, said: It's a fairly big and intensive fire."

It appears the 45-year-old driver of the 10-wagon freight train - operated by DB Schenker - had a miraculous escape and did not suffer any injuries.

The incident happened near Peacock Bank Farm when six rear wagons were derailed and then hit a pylon. There were about 100 tons of fuel on each BP wagon.

They were carrying heating oil and diesel from the Grangemouth refinery to a Scottish Fuels terminal in Kilmarnock.

Four wagons were still attached to the locomotive.

A police spokeswoman said: "A train derailed around half-a-mile outside Stewarton. It seems to have struck a pylon and a section of a bridge is down.

"One of the carriages is on fire and there is a real danger of another one catching hold. Other carriages are on their side."

Local resident Ailsa Douglas, 44, was in her house on an exercise bike when she heard the crash.

She said: "I had my Ipod on, but I heard screeching and a bang. Then everything seemed to go quiet.

"When I looked out of my window I could see an orange sky, which must have been flames."

John Dicks, who lives a mile from the site, told of the immediate aftermath of the crash, with a "raging" fire.

"There is just a big fireball with thick black smoke," he said. "You can't make out the carriages or anything on the track."

Around 100 homes in the estate lost power because of the pylons being hit.

A police helicopter circled overhead to gain the full extent of the derailment, while ambulances were on standby. A special operations team was also on site in case someone was injured.

Police put up roadblocks near the incident and the A735 was closed between the Townhead junction and Rig Street in Kilmaurs.. There was a three-mile exclusion zone.

Local traffic was brought to a virtual standstill as commuters tried to find alternative routes.

Bosses for Network Rail, which operate the track, said the driver was able to get out of his cab and raise the alarm when he saw a rear carriage on fire.

A spokesman for Network Rail said: "The train came to a standstill just south of Stewarton. The driver went to investigate the derailment and saw a rear carriage on fire.

"The line is closed between Kilmarnock and Barrhead."

Buses were being used to take passengers between those stations. Glasgow to Carlisle services were being diverted via Barassie.

A British Transport Police spokesman said: "The Rail Accident Investigation Branch has been informed and are attending."