They're terrifying images from a summer train derailment in Rockford, hitting close to home for some local members of the American Society of Safety Engineers.

"Actually it was very close to my company," David Anspaugh said.

Anspaugh brought his group together Monday night to learn more about the emergency response to the June 19th derailment. And the massive ethanol explosion that followed.

"A lot of safety people wear several different hats. We do a lot of emergencies in our company," Anspaugh said.

They heard from Fire Chief Craig Wilt with the Cherry Valley Fire Department, the lead fire agency on site for an unforgettable night.

"This was the largest incident to date and hopefully it remains that way in the history of Cherry Valley Fire Department," Chief Wilt said.

Chief Wilt gave a play-by-play of the night, satisfied with the fire department's "let it burn" approach.

"The massive amount of heat that extended out, we had no intentions of getting near that fire. That turned out was the best way to handle a major ethanol fire, to let it burn," Wilt said.

But there was still lessons learned, like having a note-taker at the command post to record certain events.

"Person-to-person orders, cell phone orders, things that aren't recorded needed a note taker," Wilt said.

Having additional ATV's to transport crews, sometimes several blocks apart, was another lesson passed along. And folks like Anspaugh say it's all welcome and needed advice.

"Those are things our members and the safety community have to think about on a day-to-day basis," Anspaugh.

On a side note, Chief Wilt says his department is still dealing with aftermath of the train derailment.

He says something pops up on a weekly basis, like calls from railroad company or the NTSB that's investigating the incident.