Ohio rail crews burned toxic chemicals from a derailed freight train last week after ordering nearly 2,000 residents to evacuate their homes.
The train, operated by Norfolk Southern Railroad and made up of three locomotives and 150 freight cars, was traveling from Illinois to Pennsylvania when it derailed shortly before 9 p.m. Friday.
The incident sparked a huge fire that forced the evacuation of hundreds of homes in the immediate area.
About 50 cars actually left the lanes, 20 of which were carrying hazardous materials, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Public safety concerns escalated after officials said on Sunday that pressure relief devices on some tankers had stopped working, which the company said could “lead to a catastrophic failure”.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said in a statement that the chemical contents of the five cars in question were “unstable and could potentially explode, causing a lethal disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes.”
A plan has been drawn up to carry out a controlled release of the cars under the supervision of experts and emergency workers.
Evacuation of vinyl chloride, a highly flammable and carcinogenic gas, began with a single explosion, followed by regular incineration of the remaining cargo, said Sandy Mackey, spokesperson for the Ohio Emergency Management Agency.
Tankers lying across the tracks
Monday’s live video showed a towering column of thick black smoke rising from the crash site in East Palestine, Ohio, a village near the Pennsylvania border northwest of Pittsburgh.
No injuries were reported during the operation or the incident itself, authorities said.
Peggy Clark, spokeswoman for the Columbiana County Emergency Management Agency, said the mandatory evacuation covered about 1,900 people on the Ohio side alone.
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Mr DeWine’s office warned that the fumes released into the air by the ventilation operation could be fatal if inhaled, while also posing a risk of skin burns and severe lung damage.
According to the National Cancer Institute, vinyl chloride is an industrially produced colorless gas that burns easily and is primarily used in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe and other products.
It is also a byproduct of cigarette smoke.
