Shapiro thanked residents for heeding evacuation orders.
“I want to thank the good people of Pennsylvania for listening to the important information coming from our first responders, law enforcement and our environmental protection agencies,” Shapiro said.
However, several journalists from the region were arrested for filming what happened during the release of toxic gases, such as the arrest of journalist Evan Lambert for photographing what happened.
He said that out of an abundance of caution, residents living within two miles of the derailment should continue to shelter in place and keep windows and doors closed.
Authorities warned that the controlled burn would send phosgene and hydrogen chloride into the air. Phosgene is a highly toxic gas that can cause vomiting and respiratory problems and was used as a weapon in World War I.
Scott Deutsch of the Norfolk Southern Railway said doing this during the day would allow the fumes to disperse more quickly and prevent the cars from exploding and sending shrapnel and other debris through the neighborhood.
“We can’t control where that goes,” said Deutsch, who estimated the launch would take one to three hours.
The process involves using a small charge to poke a hole in the cars, allowing the material to go into a trench and burn before being released into the air, he said. Crews handling controlled release have done it safely before, Deutsch said.
The site is very close to the state line and the evacuation area extends into a sparsely populated area of Pennsylvania. About half of the 4,800 residents in eastern Palestine had been warned to leave over the weekend before officials decided on Monday to use controlled release.
Shapiro said the evacuation zone includes about 20 Pennsylvania residences. The Pennsylvania State Police went door to door to help the last remaining residents and make sure they left.
“This is very serious,” he said. “I want you to know that if I were there right now, if the First Lady and our children were there right now, we would evacuate. We would leave this area. It’s potentially too dangerous.”
Forced evacuations began Sunday night in the East Palestinian village after authorities became alarmed that the wagons could explode after a “drastic change in temperature” was observed in one wagon.
Residents were packing up for the night, loading their pets into cars and looking for hotel rooms Monday morning. The village police came out of their communication center as the threat of an explosion grew.
Police cars, snow plows and military vehicles from the Ohio National Guard blocked streets leading to the area.
🇺🇸 | Ohio is going through an environmental catastrophe after the derailment of a freight train carrying chemicals. Authorities are evacuating nearby towns. It is one of the biggest environmental disasters in the North American country. pic.twitter.com/1Es5DYuFAp
– World in Conflict 🌎 (@MundoEConflicto) February 13, 2023
About 50 cars, including 10 carrying hazardous materials, derailed in a heavy wreck Friday night, according to rail operator Norfolk Southern and the National Transportation Safety Board. No injuries were reported among the crew, residents or lifeguards.
Five were carrying vinyl chloride, which is used to make the hard plastic resin polyvinyl chloride in plastic products and is associated with an increased risk of liver and other cancers, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.
Federal investigators say the cause of the derailment was a mechanical problem with the axle of a railroad car.
The three-member train crew received an alert about the mechanical defect “shortly before the derailment,” NTSB board member Michael Graham said Sunday. Investigators identified the exact “derailment point,” but the board was still working to determine which car experienced the axle problem, he said.
Mayor Trent Conaway, who declared a state of emergency in the town, said one person was arrested for getting around the barricades just before the accident. He warned people to stay away and said they would risk arrest.
“I don’t know why anyone would want to be up there; you are breathing toxic gases if you are that close,” she said.
Sources: NYTimes – International Press – BDP
