Train Derails In West Virginia (Photo : www.nydailynews.com)
A train carrying crude oil from North Dakota that derailed 1:30 p.m. Monday continued to burn until Tuesday evening, sending huge plumes of toxic black smoke into West Virginia skies.
The massive explosion filled the skies with huge dark clouds of smoke and fire. Lawrence Messina, spokesman for the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety, disclosed that one person was injured and a home was burnt during the incident, CNN reported.
Around 30 cars derailed and left the tracks in Fayette County near the town of Mount Carbon West Virginia. Nine of CSX train's 109 cars exploded in a slow motion chain reaction. Each car blew up one by one until huge flames and smoke filled the area. The reason for the derailment around was still unclear according to the law enforcement.
Police said the huge pile of smoke looked like a real mess. Residents living a mile away from the explosion evacuated their houses. Emergency crews rushed to the location about 30 miles southeast of Charleston West Virginia.
Residents heard the explosion and went outside to check what it was.
"We felt the heat, I can tell you that," said David McClung, a resident of West Virginia.
"It was a little scary. It was like an atomic bomb went off," according to New York Daily News.
One train car was tipped into the Kanawha River and oil spilled into the water. Fire kept burning for over nine hours.
West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin issued a state of emergency due to the incident. Water treatment plants were shut off by the state health officials because of the oil spills in the river.
