MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Thousands of eastern Tennessee residents have been displaced after a CSX train car carrying hazardous material derailed and caught fire, forcing their evacuation.
Most received urgent knocks at their doors between midnight and 6 a.m. Thursday by emergency workers who told them they should leave immediately. The fire was reported shortly before midnight Wednesday.
The damaged car carried liquid acrylonitrile, a flammable material used in multiple industrial processes including making plastics. It’s hazardous if inhaled.
Josh West is a spokesman for Blount Memorial Hospital in Maryville. He says 52 people had come in for treatment and 25 had been admitted.