Posted on 01/16/2007 6:13:52 AM PST by leadpenny
Huge fire in Shepherdsville (Bullitt County)
Hazardous Materials Warning issued for Bullitt Co. - MSNBC
E-Town is to the south. Don't know about Buffalo.
Dixie Highway is going to go into overload if it already isn't.
Buffalo is South of E'town.
Just got off the phone with my parents (They're in nearby Spencer County) They're watching the local ABC affiliate WHAS is telling everyone in the viewing area to bring pets in, everyone stay inside, and to turn off their heaters.
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.
AP update:
22 minutes ago
SHEPHERDSVILLE, Ky. - Several train cars derailed and were on fire Tuesday south of Louisville, prompting authorities to shut down a busy interstate.
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"We had a train derailment with some type of an explosion," said Kentucky State Police dispatcher Joey Mattingly. He said he didn't know what was aboard the train.
There were no immediate reports of injuries from the wreck that occurred about 8:50 a.m. EST, he said.
Flames from the derailed cars produced a huge column of smoke.
Bullitt County resident Daymon Strange, who lives less than a half-mile from the crash, said he was outside feeding some ducks when he heard a boom.
"I turned around and looked and there was fire at least 500 feet in the air," he said in a telephone interview. "I've never seen such a fire. It was huge."
Strange said he smelled the fumes even though they were blowing away from his home.
"You can taste it and feel it in your lungs when you go outside," he said.
Authorities had shut down an 18-mile stretch of Interstate 65, Mattingly said.
It was the second fiery train crash in Kentucky in the last two days. On Monday, four runaway rail cars struck two parked locomotives in central Kentucky, causing a fire and spilling a chemical that prompted a limited evacuation.
I grew up in Bardstown.
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.
cyclohexene, liquid propane appear to be 2 of the chemicals on the train, but they are still checking for other chemicals
My note: if flights are still being diverted out of SDF (Standiford Field to locals, everyone else knows it as Louisville International Airport) this is gonna make a mess of UPS (they have a HUUUUUGE hub at SDF)
Wind is blowing from the NW to the SE.
Figured that would be the case. Crud. I've got a UPS shipment due this week I'm gonna have to keep an eye on its estimated arrival.
Still burning this morning.
http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/01/17/D8MN0TGG0.html
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