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FEBRUARY 16, 2015
UPDATE
MOUNT CARBON, W.Va. (AP) —
A
train carrying more than 100 tankers of crude oil (about 3 million gallons of crude oil) derailed during a
snowstorm in southern West Virginia on Monday, sending at least one
tanker into a river, igniting at least 14 in all and sending a fireball
hundreds of feet into the sky, officials and residents said.
Part of the
derailed train slammed into a house, residents said. Officials evacuated
hundreds of families and shut down two water treatment plants
threatened by oil seeping into the river. And fires were still burning
nearly nine hours after the accident, according to state public safety
division spokesman Lawrence Messina. The plan is to let those tankers on
fire burn out, he said.
David McClung said he felt the heat from one of the explosions at his home about a half mile up the hill.
"It
was a little scary. It was like an atomic bomb went off," he said. One
of the explosions that followed sent a fireball at least 300 feet into
the air, McClung said.
One
person was being treated for potential inhalation issues, but no other
injuries were reported, according to a news release from CSX, the train
company.
The state was under a
winter storm warning and getting heavy snowfall at times, with as much
as 5 inches in some places. It's not clear if the weather had anything
to do with the derailment, which occurred about 1:20 p.m. along a flat
stretch of rail about 30 miles southeast of Charleston. Federal railroad
and hazardous materials officials are probing into the accident.
Responders
at the scene reported at least one tanker went into the river, Messina
said. Local emergency responders were having trouble getting to the
house that caught fire, he said.
14 to 17 tankers caught fire or exploded, said Jennifer Sayre, the Kanawha County manager.
Becky Nuckols heard the train hit the house directly across the river from her house in the community of Boomer.
"I thought it was a snow plow," she said. "That's what made me look out. All you heard was a big boom."
After calling 911 Nuckols said she ran outside and saw a man leave the house and take off running.
Officials opened shelters, while CSX reserved hotel rooms and opened an outreach center for affected residents.
The
office of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, which has issued a state of emergency,
said the tanker cars were loaded with Bakken crude from North Dakota
and headed to Yorktown, Virginia.
All but two of the 109 cars being hauled were tanker cars, officials said.
West
Virginia American Water shut down a water treatment plant, located
about 3 miles from the derailment, spokeswoman Laura Jordan. Another
water plant downstream in the town of Cedar Grove also closed its
intake, state health officials said.
The
U.S. Transportation Department is weighing tougher safety regulations
for rail shipments of crude, which can ignite and result in huge
fireballs.
Responding to a
series of fiery train crashes, including one this spring in Lynchburg,
Virginia, the government proposed rules in July that would phase out
tens of thousands of older tank cars that carry increasing quantities of
crude oil and other highly flammable liquids. It's not clear how old
the tankers were on the derailed train.
The Lynchburg train also was hauling Bakken crude oil from North Dakota to Yorktown, Virginia.
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The derailment happened about 1:20 p.m. Eastern time
while the 109-car train carrying Bakken crude oil was going east
from North Dakota to Yorktown, Va., Messina said. Three hours later, the
fire was still burning, he said.
As many as 15 train cars were involved in the
derailment and fire, Messina said.
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin declared a state of emergency around 6 p.m.
“State officials are
on site and will continue to work with local and federal officials, as well as
CSX representatives, throughout the incident," Tomblin said in a
statement.
The CSX train was hauling crude oil, which is leaking from
at least one of the cars, Messina said. No injuries were reported, he
said.
"Our concern is oil is leaking into the Kanawha
River," he said. Two water intakes downstream from the treatment plant
have been shut down, he said.
CSX said the company was aware of the situation.
"We are working with first responders on the scene to ensure the safety of
the community," it said on Twitter.
Some of the tanker cars exploded, and oil on a
portion of the river is on fire, according to the office of Kanawha County
Emergency Management & Floodplain Management, which was assisting in the
response.
Kanawha County is downriver from Fayette County.
Adena Village, near the derailment, has been evacuated,
and authorities were beginning to evacuate homes across the
river from the fire about 4:30 p.m., Messina said. At least 100 people
have been evacuated, he said.
Fayette County is about 60 miles southeast of
Charleston.
Some videos and photos on social media, which a spokesman for the
Montgomery Fire Department confirmed were of the scene, showed fire
engulfing the train.
Heavy snow was falling in the area, but Messina said it
was unclear if that would help extinguish the fire.
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FEBRUARY 16, 2015
MOUNT CARBON, W.Va. — Multiple tanker cars of a crude oil train derailed Monday afternoon near Mount Carbon in Fayette County. Some of those cars went into the Kanawha River and are on fire. Each DOT-111A car can hold 30,000 gallons of crude oil.
The derailment caused an explosion and the resulting fire destroyed at least one residence. The area around the derailment is being evacuated.
The CSX train jumped the tracks at about 1:20. Eyewitness Randy Fitzwater of Boomer said he thought a plane had crashed.
“I heard this loud noise. It sounded like a jet airplane flew over my house and then I heard an explosion,” Fitzwater told Metronews. “I looked across the river and I could see this big ball of flame.”
State Public Safety spokesman Larry Messina said the derailment caused an oil leak. He said first responders were having trouble making it to the scene because of road conditions from the snowstorm and the derailment itself.
Residents in the Mount Carbon, Adena Village area, which is just a few miles from Montgomery on state Route 61, were being evacuated. Also residents across the River in Boomer were told to leave their homes. Governor Tomblin’s Office says water intakes at Montgomery and Cedar Grove have been closed. Residents are asked to conserve water.
West Virginia American Water released a statement saying it is aware of the derailment and that the intake for the Montgomery water treatment plant, which draws water from the Kanawha River a few miles downstream from the accident, was shut down at approximately 2:30 p.m.
Source: http://wvmetronews.com/2015/02/16/oil-train-derails-in-fayette-county-causing-explosion-tanker-cars-in-kanawha-river/
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FEBRUARY 16, 2015
3:00 p.m., UPDATE:
Water intakes in Montgomery and Cedar Grove have been closed
because of the train accident along the Kanawha River. That is according
to the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau for Public
Health.
It is confirmed that the train was carrying crude oil, some
of which spilled into the Kanawha River. While the intakes are closed,
customers are urged to conserve water. The Montgomery Water System is
part of West Virginia American Water Co.
/____________________________________________/
FEBRUARY 16, 2015
2:30 p.m., UPDATE:
WEST VIRIGINIA:
Dispatchers have announced that the towns of Adena Village
and Boomer Bottom are being evacuated because of a nearby train derailment.
Officials said Route 61 is being shut down as a result of
the derailment. A shelter is being set up at Valley High School for people who
are being evacuated.
According to Lawrence Messina, communications director for
the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, at least
one tanker has fallen into the river, and authorities believe crude oil is in
the tanker. Messina said officials were unsure if anything else was in the
tanker.
Messina said the Department of Environmental Protection also
was responding to the accident to assess the situation.
2:21 p.m., Original Story: Firefighters and emergency
crews have responded to a train accident in Montgomery, WV busy.
The accident happened at about 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16,
2015. Details on what exactly happened are still limited at this time.
Officials have said that a train has derailed. The location of the accident is
near Montgomery, within a four mile radius. Watch for updates hear and on the
air as information becomes available.
Source: http://www.wvnstv.com/story/28120275/train-accident-near-montgomery-wv
Source: http://www.wvnstv.com/story/28120275/train-accident-near-montgomery-wv
