Madison: A cargo train derailed in the midwestern United States, sparking a massive fire and triggering the release of small amounts of vinyl chloride, a hazardous chemical, officials said on Saturday.

No injuries or fatalities were reported after around 50 carriages of the 140-carriage train came off the tracks late on Friday near the Ohio-Pennsylvania state border.

The Norfolk Southern train was shipping cargo from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, when it derailed in East Palestine, Ohio.

Ten of the cars that derailed carried hazardous materials, including five with vinyl chloride, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the lead federal investigating agency, said in a tweet on Saturday night.

Vinyl chloride, a colourless gas, is deemed carcinogenic by the US National Cancer Institute. It is used to make the white plastic PVC pipes commonly used in plumbing.

“We have not confirmed that vinyl chloride has been released other than from the pressure release devices” installed on some cars, the NTSB tweet said.

The devices relieve a buildup of pressure in the tanker cars to prevent explosions.

Several explosions were heard as the cars continued to burn into Saturday. “It’s an active fire scene,” said NTSB board member Michael Graham. Low temperatures hampered the effort, as fire trucks pumping water froze up.

Firefighters wore hazmat suits as they tackled the blaze.

Roughly 2,000 residents — about half of the town’s population — were asked by authorities to evacuate their homes.

Officials asked anyone living within a one-mile (1.6-kilometre) radius of the scene to leave. They also enforced a shelter-in-place order for the entire town.

“We cannot stress enough that we need everyone to stay away from the scene,” East Palestine’s town manager wrote in a letter posted on Facebook.

No harmful levels of compounds had been detected in the air as of Saturday evening, a spokesperson with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency told CNN in an email.

“Ohio EPA will remain on site and air monitors will remain in place as long as necessary,” Ohio EPA spokesperson James Lee said in a statement.

“Ohio EPA has established containment to help limit any damage to local streams and rivers from water runoff from the firefighting.”

The agency will work with local officials and the railroad company to “identify the nature and extent” of any possible contamination and will work to ensure cleanup efforts to protect human health and the environment, Lee said.

The Norfolk Southern train departed from Madison, Illinois, and was bound for Conway, Pennsylvania, when it derailed, according to the NTSB.

Norfolk Southern Railway said in a statement its team members were at the scene and added it was “coordinating with federal, state and local agencies.”

The company said it set up a family assistance center “to address the needs of the community and support those directly impacted.”

“Additionally, we are supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross and their temporary community shelters through a $25,000 donation,” the company said.

Published in Dawn, February 6th, 2023