With evacuated residents awaiting word on when they can return home, officials held a press conference Tuesday afternoon to provide the latest updates regarding the train derailment in East Palestine.
This update comes one day after officials conducted a controlled release of chemicals as Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine noted the contents of five rail cars were "currently unstable and could potentially explode, causing deadly disbursement of shrapnel and toxic fumes." By Monday evening, Scott Deutsch of the Norfolk Southern Railway said they were "very pleased" with the result.
"The detonation went perfect and we're already to a point where the cars are safe," Deutsch said. "They were not safe prior to this (controlled release)."
On Tuesday, authorities from the railroad as well as the village, the state, and the United States Environmental Protection Agency said the fire pit is out and all five cars containing the dangerous chemical vinyl chloride were no longer burning. Four of the cars have since been removed for further inspection by the National Transportation Safety Board, with crews waiting to move the last one.
East Palestine residents within a one-mile radius of the crash, which occurred Friday, were ordered to evacuate under threat of arrest. While the situation appears to be improving, there is still no timeline as to when those people can return to their homes, and officials are still collecting data on air quality and increasing their overall monitoring.
Read more about the East Palestine train derailment: https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/northeast-ohio/ohio-train-derailment-update-east-palestine-columbiana-county/95-cb6ccdd3-61d1-4d07-98d6-2158a4132ab9
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