A disaster occurred after a train carrying 100 oil tankers of crude oil became derailed on Monday, causing at least one tanker to go into the Kanawha River in West Virginia.
The incident occurred Monday, and the stray tanker ignited 14 others, which caused a house fire and a local state of emergency. This urged residents to evacuate the area. Only one person needed to be assisted for potentially inhaling dangerous fumes.
911 coordinator for Fayette County, James Bennett stated that almost a hundred families were asked to leave the area for their own protection. Especially after the one home caught fire in the local neighborhood of Adena village.
Meanwhile, state emergency and environmental protection personal raced to the scene, which is located about 30 miles southeast of Charleston. At the time they were unaware if anyone was caught inside the fire. So far, no one has been reported to be injured besides the one who was treated.
The rail company whose train was derailed went to social media to inform local residents of the situation and tweeted, “A CSX train derailed in Mount Carbon, WV. We are working with first responders on the scene to ensure the safety of the community.”
A local residence, David McClung, said he felt the intensity of the heat from the fire from his residence located about a half a mile up the hill from the scene. “We felt the heat, I can tell you that,” McClung states and goes on to say, “It was a little scary. It was like an atomic bomb went off.”
The residences of the area are definitely going to be seeing the after affects of this incidence for a little while. Local water treatment facilities were shut down after the one tanker was found in the river. Officials say that more may have fallen into Kanawha River, and they want to make sure their water supply is not contaminated.
Photo By: John Raby / Associated Press
