EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — A train derailed in an Ohio town near the Pennsylvania border and sparked a large fire, prompting residents to evacuate their homes late Friday, officials said. stated state officials.
A post on the city of East Palestine, Ohio’s Facebook page around 11 p.m. said an evacuation order had been issued for an area one mile from the intersection of James Street, with shelter available at East Palestine High School.
An earlier post by the city just before 10 p.m. told area residents to shelter in place.
No casualties were immediately reported.
KDKA-TV reported the cause of the derailment, and the train’s load was not immediately known.
The station’s Twitter page showed a video of police driving down a street and using a loudspeaker to ask residents to evacuate. The department said several firefighters were on the scene, where flames and orange smoke could be seen from a distance.
The fire sent so much smoke into the atmosphere that it was visible on KDKA-TV’s weather radar, the station’s meteorologist said in a Twitter post.
Northfolk Southern Railway released a statement saying the company was aware of the derailment and was “coordinating closely with local first responders as they mobilized their crews. We will share more details as they become available,” KDKA-TV reported.
East Palestine is about 50 miles northwest of Pittsburgh.
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