Train derailment causes massive fire, evacuations in Ohio

Local officials notified residents that an evacuation order remained in place on Saturday morning for people within a mile of the scene, while firefighting efforts continued.

The fire created so much smoke that meteorologists from the region said it was visible on weather radar.
AP

The fire created so much smoke that meteorologists from the region said it was visible on weather radar.

A train derailment and resulting large fire have prompted an evacuation order in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line, covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below.

About 50 cars derailed on Friday night in East Palestine as a train was carrying a variety of freight from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, rail operator Norfolk Southern said in a statement on Saturday. 

There was no immediate information about what caused the derailment. No injuries were reported.

Local officials notified residents that an evacuation order remained in place on Saturday morning for people within a mile of the scene. 

A high school and community centre were opened to shelter dozens of people, while residents beyond that radius were urged to stay inside.

Trucks pumping water froze

Mayor Trent Conaway told reporters that firefighters from three states responded due to the location of the derailment about 82 kilometres northwest of Pittsburgh and within 32 kilometres of the tip of West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.

Freezing temperatures in the single digits complicated the response as trucks pumping water froze, Conaway said.

Hazmat crews also responded to the scene to determine whether hazardous materials were involved, he added.

Unmanned stream devices were also being used protectively while crews try to determine which cars are still actively burning, village officials said in a separate statement Saturday.

They said they hoped to use drones to assess the scene in daylight, and warned that residents might hear more explosions as the fire burns.

Norfolk Southern said it has personnel on-site coordinating with first responders.

READ MORE: Multiple deaths, injuries after Amtrak train derails in Montana

Route 6