Evacuations ordered after fire at derailment site; workers hurt

November 1, 2012 – KENTUCKY – People who live and work within 1.2 miles of Monday’s train derailment site in southwest Jefferson County and the entire Hardin County community of West Point were ordered to evacuate Wednesday afternoon after a fire injured five contractors working on a derailed train car containing a highly flammable chemical. Officials with Louisville Metro Emergency Management Agency said one of the contractors was in very critical condition, a second contractor was in critical condition and a third contractor was in serious condition. Two others refused treatment at the scene.  An EMA official said the contractors were using a blowtorch to try to separate a derailed car containing butadiene from another car when chemical vapors accidentally ignited. “The workers that are here are highly trained, and this is one of those accidents that occur, unfortunately,” he said. The EMA official said crews were confident the fire would remain contained to one rail car. They were hopeful the fire would be out by 6 p.m. Crews said the safest way to approach the fire was to let it burn itself out. Emergency crews said 1,800 gallons of water were flowing on the insulated, double-walled tanker car to keep the situation in check. As a precaution, adjacent cares were also being cooled. In addition to the evacuations that were ordered, a “shelter in place” warning was issued for people within five-miles of the derailment. Shelter in place means to close all windows and doors, bring pets inside and turn off HVAC systems. A Code Red alert was sent to residents in the shelter in place zone. The Red Cross set up the following two shelters for evacuees. –Wave 3