Train derailment, fire prompts evacuation in Tennessee


              Emergency personnel stand by as evacuees gather at the Foothills Mall early Thursday, July 2, 2015, in Maryville, Tenn.,  after they were forced to leave their homes when rail car carrying a flammable and toxic gas has derailed and caught fire. (Brittany Bade/WBIR.com via AP)
Emergency personnel stand by as evacuees gather at the Foothills Mall early Thursday, July 2, 2015, in Maryville, Tenn., after they were forced to leave their homes when rail car carrying a flammable and toxic gas has derailed and caught fire. (Brittany Bade/WBIR.com via AP)

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Authorities say at least one train car carrying a flammable and toxic gas has derailed and caught fire in eastern Tennessee, prompting an evacuation within a 1-mile radius.

WATE-TV reports the CSX train derailed in Blount County in the Maryville area, south of Knoxville.

On its Facebook page, the Blount County Sheriff's Office said early Thursday that the evacuations could last from 24 to 48 hours.

A shelter for residents has been set up at a high school.

Tennessee Emergency Management Agency spokesman Dean Flener says there have been no reports of fatalities.

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