‘Catastrophic’ Blast Possible At Ohio Derailment Site – Officials Warn

Officials watching the smoldering, twisted wreckage of a railway disaster in northeastern Ohio cautioned hundreds of local neighbors who had refused to leave to do so Sunday night, saying a rail car was at risk of exploding and launching deadly shrapnel up to a mile.

According to a statement from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s office, they warned of “the risk of a catastrophic tanker failure” after a “drastic temperature shift” was seen in that rail vehicle. Teams were attempting to avert an explosion at the scene in East Palestine. It didn’t say what was in that automobile or whether it was one of those transporting dangerous products.

Anyone within a one-mile radius of the site was asked to leave immediately. Many had, but local officials stated more than 500 individuals had refused to leave, according to the statement.

Stay-at-home arrests were probable, according to CBS Pittsburgh:

According to the Columbiana County Emergency Management Director, one of the derailed railway cars carrying hazardous materials has deteriorated and there is now a much greater risk of an uncontrolled release and explosion of the car.

A small explosion was seen on film early Monday morning as personnel continued to work to extinguish the burning rail cars, according to CBS Pittsburgh:

Federal inspectors said earlier Sunday that the fiery disaster near the Pennsylvania state border on Friday night was caused by a technical problem with a train car axle.