Thursday, December 23, 2004 10:24 AM CST
Train derailment leads to evacuation of homes
By ROB STROUD, Staff Writer
PARIS -- Residents in northwest Paris were evacuated Wednesday in response to a hydrochloric acid leak caused by the nearby derailment that morning of more than a dozen railroad cars.
They were able to go back home Wednesday afternoon once CSX Transportation rail staff and emergency responders contained the spill. The derailment occurred at about 7:30 a.m. in a sparsely populated wooded area near 1200th Road, on which the Illinois Department of Corrections' former work camp is located.
Edgar County Emergency Services and Disaster Agency spokesman Jenny Barkley said during a press conference that no injuries were reported and the leak did not threaten the Twin Lakes on the north side of town.
"I don't think there has been any indication there are any (health) problems at all," Barkley said.
Tom Livingston, vice president of government and public affairs for CSX, said during the same press conference that 14 to 15 cars derailed, but none of them fell over. He said CSX does not know yet what caused the accident, but will soon conduct a full investigation.
"Our first priority is to work with emergency officials and get people back in their homes in a safe and efficient manner," Livingston said.
Livingston said the hydrochloric acid was in a liquid state within the single tanker car that leaked, but became a gas when it was exposed to the air. He said the wind conditions on Wednesday were favorable to containment. He said that gas remained in a small area around the car and then dissipated in the air.
Paris firefighters were assisted by other emergency responders, including the Charleston Fire and Rescue Department's hazardous materials team. Charleston Chief Darrell Nees said team members at the scene included personnel from the Charleston and Mattoon fire departments, and Eastern Illinois University Police Department.
"That way we don't have to draw all our resources from one agency," Nees said.
Nees said the hazardous materials team used protective suits to get close to the leak and evaluate it. He said there was a rupture in the tanker car that was too large to seal, but the hydrochloric acid vapor took care of itself by venting and dissipating. He said the team stood by until CSX containment and clean-up staff arrived.
Hydrochloric acid is used for manufacturing chemicals, refining tin ore, treating metal, removing scale from heat exchange equipment, increasing oil well output, preparing synthetic rubber and other uses. Exposure to it can cause circulatory collapse, asphyxiation, inflammation of the respiratory tract, and corneal and skin burns.
Livingston said the train included five engines and 50 cars that were also hauling grain, corn sweetener and starch, and various chemicals and solvents. He said the train originated in Decatur was heading to Indianapolis.
The local chapter of the American Red Cross opened an evacuation center Wednesday morning at the Crestwood school on the east side of Paris.
Chapter Chairman Jim Englum said more than 65 people used the center, including the residents of the Brookstone Estates-Senior Living Apartments. The Red Cross provided breakfast and lunch for the evacuees.
Evacuees at the school included Ron and Lorna Hensley and their teenage granddaughter, Ariel Moody, who is visiting from Noblesville, Ind. for the holidays.
Ron Hensley said they were told to evacuate by Paris firefighters using a public address system. Moody said she had just awakened when she heard about the chemical leak, so she had to go from pajamas to street clothes in record time.
"As quick as I have ever gotten dressed," Moody said.
Alice Kramer said she and her husband, Robert, and their daughter, Jean, were told to evacuate by an Edgar County sheriff's deputy who knocked on their door.
Jean Kramer, who is visiting from Germany for the holidays, said the evacuation made for a Christmas season that she will not forget. She and her family remained in good spirits as they ran errands, ate at Monical's Pizza and paid a visit to the evacuation center.
"You have got to look at the bright side. We are together doing things together," Alice Kramer said.
Contact Rob Stroud at rstroud@jg-tc.com or 348-5734.
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