Train derailment, fire prompts evacuation in Tennessee
(AP) — A car on a CSX train carrying a flammable and toxic substance derailed and caught fire in eastern Tennessee, prompting the evacuation of thousands of people within a 2-mile radius.
Craig Camuso, CSX regional vice president for state government affairs, said the derailed car was carrying acrylonitrile.
The company said it's a hazardous material used in multiple industrial processes including making plastics, it's flammable and it's dangerous if inhaled.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, acrylonitrile is a colorless liquid.
Blount County Memorial Hospital spokesman Josh West said the ten first responders were given oxygen, which is standard procedure after exposure to the chemical.
Camuso said the company is placing evacuees in hotels, will provide reimbursement when it sets up its outreach center and will provide gift cards for food and essentials to those who need them.
The National Transportation Safety Board is not investigating the accident, but will monitor it and could send an investigator later, NTSB spokesman Terry Williams said in an email.