USA: A Train Derailed Near The Ohio-Pennsylvania Border Friday Night. An "Urgent Evacuation Notice" Was Issued On Sunday Evening To Residents Within The One-Mile Radius Of The Area.

WKYC Channel 3 published February 5, 2023: Train derailment update: East Palestine under URGENT evacuation order. Train derailment update: An "urgent evacuation notice" has been issued on Sunday evening by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, East Palestine officials and the Columbia Gas Company for anyone living within a mile of the derailment.

Since approximately 6:30 p.m., a dramatic temperature change was noticed in a train car in the wreckage of the crash. Officials warn of a "catastrophic tanker failure" which has the potential to cause a deadly explosion of shrapnel capable of travelling up to a mile in all directions. At approximately 8 p.m., Governor Mike DeWine deployed the Ohio National Guard to the area to assist local authorities.

WKBN27 published February 5, 2023: East Palestine, Ohio train derailment leads to fire, explosion, State of Emergency declared by Mayor. East Palestine issued an emergency evacuation notice for a mile around the train derailment fire effective as of 8:45 p.m. Sunday. 

CBS Pittsburgh published February 5, 2023: Gov. DeWine issues evacuation notice in East Palestine, Oh. The National Guard has been deployed ahead of a possible explosion.

CBS News, Pittsburg

Train derailment causes massive fire in East Palestine, Ohio

written by Lauren Linder, and Christopher Derose

Sunday February 5, 2023 at 9:23 PM EST

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (KDKA) — Over 48 hours after a train derailed near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border Friday night, a fire continues to burn and evacuation orders have been issued ahead of a possible explosion.

An emergency alert was issued to residents within the one-mile radius of the area, asking anyone within that area to evacuate immediately due to concerns over a possible explosion.

The Columbiana County Emergency Management Director tells KDKA's Lauren Linder that the condition of one of the derailed train cars carrying vinyl chloride has degraded and that there's now a much higher concern for an uncontrolled release and explosion of the car.

The Columbiana County Sheriff's Office says that individuals will face charges if they don't adhere to evacuation orders surrounding the train derailment.

In the wake of the new risk of explosion, Gov. Mike DeWine is deploying the Ohio National Guard to East Palestine as concerns grow surrounding the situation.

Gov. DeWine said that is an explosion were to occur, there's the potential for deadly shrapnel to travel up to one mile.

The NTSB staged a second press conference on Sunday as crews continue to manage the wreckage of the train derailment.

The NTSB continues to gather any perishable evidence from the scene and analysis of the incident will begin once all evidence is gathered. Any safety recommendations to prevent future accidents will be made after the analysis period, NTSB official Michael Graham said.

Norfolk Southern provided a list of frequently asked questions related to the train derailment, the contents of the cars, and more.

The ten hazardous material cars will be moved to a temporary staging area for further assessment once the scene is safe. The site remains active and dangerous. Drones will continue to be utilized to assist in the surveying of damage.

Officials were able to recover the locomotive data recorder on Sunday as well as forward and in-facing camera video and audio recordings. This data will be reviewed and then sent to the NTSB's vehicle data recorder lab in Washington D.C. for a thorough evaluation.

Video obtained from the wreck shows preliminary indications of mechanical issues on one of the railway axles, Graham added. More analysis of the video is needed before a conclusion can be reached.

Members of the train crew also were interviewed by the NTSB, according to Graham. The crew did receive an alarm from a waist-side defect detector shortly before the derailment, indicating a mechanical issue, per Graham.

The crew's statements are in the process of being verified with the data recorder to further analyze the crew's conduct before and during the derailment.

The NTSB has requested records from Norfolk-Southern, including track inspection records, locomotive and railcar inspections, maintenance records, train crew records, and qualifications, Graham added. Additionally, the track team on Sunday conducted a one-mile walk-through of the track outside the hot zone, and they were able to identify the point of derailment.

The on-scene portion of the investigation will continue as long as necessary, Graham noted.