(WBIR - MARYVILLE) -
A week after the mass evacuation from a Blount County train derailment, it's much quieter at Blount County Fire Department Station 2. That's quite alright with Chief Doug McClanahan.
"It's been a pretty trying time for everybody," McClanahan said.
A CSX car on the train derailed just miles from their post. Investigators have pointed to a broken axle as a possible cause. One car, carrying 24,000 gallons of toxic acrylonitrile, ruptured and caught fire.
McClanahan's crews were some of the first on the scene. At first, they thought it was full of burning propane.
"That pretty much stresses you right there," he said. "If it's on fire, it's a major hazard. Absolutely an eyebrow-raiser."
Ten law enforcement officers had to be treated for inhalation of the chemical, according to the Blount County Sheriff's Office. No firefighters were hurt, said McClanahan.
Capt. Jerry Phillips, of Blount County Fire, spent nearly 24 hours on the scene. Crews spent hours in full gear, working their way through neighborhoods and pounding on doors.
"I don't remember ever having to evacuate so many people so quickly," he said.
All told, authorities tried to get some 5,000 people away from the site.
Phillips said such long hours start to wear on many of the rescuers, even though they work in rotations.
"You're not physically working the whole time, but you're mentally working the whole time more than ever," Phillips said.
And always in the back of their minds: their own family and friends who lived in the evacuation zone, and could have been in danger.
"Sometimes a quick phone call to that family is just, 'I'm OK, you OK?'" said McClahahan. "Five seconds means a lot."
Now, McClanahan is debriefing his crew, and keeping them ready for the next emergency. He's also thankful the derailment wasn't worse.
He feared an explosion.
"It would have been extremely tragic," he said.