A train derailment in Ohio Friday night sparked a massive fire, prompting officials to order an evacuation order for 2000 local residents.
A Norfolk Southern freight train comprised of about fifty cars was derailed Friday night near the town of East Palestine for unknown reasons. Though no injuries were reported in the derailment, the incident sparked a massive fire that prompted an evacuation order for 2000 nearby residents and a shelter-in-place order for the rest of the community, according to WKBN.
#BREAKING: A massive fire continues to burn out of control in East Palestine, Ohio near the Beaver County border after a train derailment. A 1-square mile zone around the derailment has been evacuated. @KDKA #SjyEye2 https://t.co/y8ZM8o5FQ7 pic.twitter.com/fpISlS2wwm
— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) February 4, 2023
“We got the call about 10:00 that they were looking for an evacuation site,” East Palestine Superintendent Chris Neifer told the outlet from the local high school gymnasium -turned shelter. “We got our people on board, got our buses out, and got the doors open so everyone had a safe, warm place to come.”
“We have multiple hazmat teams on the scene,”East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway told the outlet. “Norfolk Southern’s here with its hazmat team, too, to determine the possible chemicals that were involved.” Though Conway admitted they weren’t sure what chemicals were burning, he told the outlet one of the cars on the train was hauling automobiles. Multiple explosions were reportedly heard as the train cars continued to burn, according to WKBN. (RELATED: Electric Cars Might Be Nightmare For Firefighters When They Combust, Says Report)
About 50 fire departments from three states were called to the scene in an attempt to get the blaze under control, the outlet stated. Frigid temperatures, hovering between 5-10 degrees, however, were causing the trucks pumping water to freeze up, hampering their efforts, the outlet stated.
The evacuation remains in place Saturday morning for people who reside within a one mile radius of the crash-site, CBS reported.