Freight train derails in Ohio, US: Huge fire, evacuations, hazardous material on board

In this photo provided by Melissa Smith, a fire after a train derailed is seen from her farm in East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday (Saturday NZ time). Photo / via AP

A train derailment and resulting large fire prompted an evacuation order and a declaration of a state of emergency in an Ohio village near the Pennsylvania state line on Friday night (Saturday night NZ time), covering the area in billows of smoke lit orange by the flames below.

About 50 cars derailed in East Palestine as a train was carrying a variety of freight from Madison, Illinois, to Conway, Pennsylvania, rail operator Norfolk Southern said in a statement on Saturday (this morning NZ).

There was no immediate information about what caused the derailment. No injuries were reported.

Mayor Trent Conaway, of the village of East Palestine, declared a state of emergency, citing a “train derailment with hazardous materials”.

Norfolk Southern said the train was carrying more than 100 cars, 20 of which were classified as carrying hazardous materials, defined as cargo that could pose any kind of danger “including flammables, combustibles, or environmental risks”.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was “launching a go-team to investigate” the derailment, and board member Michael Graham would “serve as spokesperson on scene”.

Firefighters have been pulled from the immediate area and unmanned stream devices are being used protectively while crews try to determine which cars are still actively burning, village officials said in a separate statement.

They said they hoped to use drones to assess the scene in daylight, and warned that residents might hear more explosions as the fire burns.

The village notified residents that an evacuation order remained in place on Saturday morning (Sunday morning NZ) for people within a mile of the scene. A high school and community centre were opened to shelter dozens of people, while residents beyond that radius were urged to stay inside.

The few dozen residents sheltering at the high school included Ann McAnlis, who said a neighbour had texted her about the crash.

“She took a picture of the glow in the sky from the front porch,” McAnlis told WFMJ-TV. “That’s when I knew how substantial this was.”

Conaway told reporters that firefighters from three states responded. The derailment happened about 80km northwest of Pittsburgh and within 30km of the tip of West Virginia’s Northern Panhandle.

Freezing temperatures in the single digits complicated the response as trucks pumping water froze, Conaway said.

Hazmat crews also responded to the scene to determine whether hazardous materials were involved, and air quality in the area was being monitored, officials said.

Norfolk Southern said it had personnel on-site coordinating with first responders.

The fire created so much smoke that meteorologists from the region said it was visible on weather radar. - AP