Oh crud, that's only about a half hour from where I grew up. Keep us up to date, please.
Before anyone screams "Terrorism, Coverup, ROP, Nothing to see here move along" (surprised the thread made it this far without that spam), how about a little perspective. If it were terrorism, why would they do it in a rural/suburban area instead of inside a city where they could cause far more harm? The likely cause is a broken rail, in the last 24 hours there was a big temperature drop there and the steel rails expand and contract based on the temperature changes. The track is designed to handle that, but occassionally there are breaks, especially after a big shift in temperatures. The railroad, CSX, also has one of the worst safety history of the major railroads and has been repeatedly cited for poor track maintenance. Plus there are other potential causes (axle failure, bearings burn off, sloppy train handling, etc.)
What is scary is seeing that fireman on the ladder spraying water on the fire. There is a somewhat famous film of another derailment 30 years ago in Houston where a firefighter was also up on a ladder spraying down a big fire, where a big after explosion literally blew him off the ladder.
Bullitt train crash evacuates area schools
10:50 AM EST on Tuesday, January 16, 2007
The Bullitt County Sheriff’s department is responding to a fiery train crash that happened at approximately 8:45 am Tuesday. Nearly 20 cars were derailed in the crash.
All of Bullitt County is under a Hazardous Materials Warning reported by the Bullitt County Emergency Management Agency.
A Poison Control expert told WHAS11 News that he believes that the train was carrying butadiene. Butadiene is a chemical used in industrial manufacturing and is a respiratory irritant. If it is inhaled, it can cause problems for the elderly and those with asthma.
The Kentucky National Guard is sending the 41st civil support team to monitor air quality and determine if the air is toxic.
Metro Louisville is also sending crews to help combat the fire.
Emergency officials are telling residents in the Bullitt County area to close all windows, bring in pets and turn off heaters.
Brooks Elementary School is being evacuated and students are being transported to Hebron Middle School. Micah Christian School in Hillview, Ky. is closing three hours early as a precaution. Parents may pick up students at any time.
Jefferson County Public Schools are monitoring the situation and believe they are safe at this time. The afternoon preschool sessions at Bullitt Co. elementary schools are cancelled today. Morning session students will go home at the end of the school day.
Both north and southbound I-65 are shut down for approximately a half-mile in either direction between the Gene Snyder and exit 117 at Shepherdsville. Hwy. 1020 near Huber Station Rd. have also been shut down.
WHAS11 News will bring you more information as it becomes available.
There's a live video/news report on
http://www.wave3.com/
They are planning on having a press conference at 11:45 ET, and at that time - may be able to say what chemicals were on the train.